My Favourite Mistake
by necessarily-anonymous
Summary: *Complete* Sasuke’s never noticed Naruto’s strange behavior every two months. That is – until it starts to affect him.What exactly will it take Naruto to realize that the solution to his problems is right there in front of him? NaruSasuNaru WAFF NC17.
1. Chapter 1

My Favorite Mistake :

My Favorite Mistake :

CHP 1 :

Sasuke strolled through the paved streets of his home town, wondering whether coming back to Konoha had been a mistake. Sometimes, in his weak moments, he was actually tempted to run away again. Not _to _anyone, but just - _away. _

He passed a group of middle aged women going about their daily shopping and found himself scowling. One of the things he despised about this place was the sheer _dullness _of it all. Even if things at Orochimaru had been dark and twisted, at least he wasn't constantly being serenaded with happy cheerful faces and doting parents. It made him sick. Konoha reminded him of his past life when he categorically did not want to remember. The walls around the city stood as a symbol of security, of safety, of loyalty, and –his scowl darkened – of love.

The women passing by glanced sketchily at him before huddling closer together and moving on. He rolled his eyes. Oh get over it, he thought. It had been five years already. Hadn't he proved that he wouldn't run away anymore? After spending 6 months in detention, after doing endless mind numbing d rank missions, after _teaching, _for the love of God - _teaching _the gennins –they still acted like he was a traitorous snake. He paused. Not that he could blame them entirely. Sasuke understood the way the human mind worked. _Once a traitor, always a traitor_. And then they wondered why he never really respected the so called society that Konoha had created. Which brought him back to his earlier muse. _Why exactly had he come back again?_

"OI Teme!"

Sasuke turned. _Ah yes_. Of course. The reason for his much awaited return to his _home_ – the word sounded stale to him- was jogging up to him right now. The Dobe. He didn't see the need to acknowledge the bundle of blue and blond as such, but still, he waited. As much as he wanted to deny it – the reason he had come back was the people he loved - correction – cared for. They all resided here within these four walls. Dead and alive.

"Watcha' doing?" Naruto asked, once he reached his side. He had gotten reasonably taller in these past five years thanks to Sakura's food, though Sasuke still maintained his half an inch advantage. He smirked. The dobe would always remain shorter; Good genes sometimes made all the difference.

"Walking," Sasuke answered, continuing on his path. Naruto followed closely and Sasuke wrinkled his nose. His friend was smelling a little strange. Sort of like mus-

"Sakura- chan said that they gave you a B rank mission this time." The blond interrupted his thoughts, grinning. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, waiting for the poor joke that was sure to follow.

"Think you can handle it? Maybe if you can complete it they might think of letting you join my _Anbu_ team – you know as a kunai cleaner or something." Naruto laughed loudly, and after a moment, patted him rather hard on the back.

"How long have you been waiting to say that?" Sasuke asked. Naruto stopped laughing but the grin didn't leave his face,

"All morning," he replied, unembarrassed. Sasuke rolled his eyes, noticing that the blond's skin was shinning with sweat. That must explain the smell, he thought. He really must teach the idiot to bathe more often.

"Dobe."

Naruto ignored the comment and effortlessly launched into a full description of his latest mission and how he had brilliantly saved the day. Sasuke couldn't help but smile a little. The dobe really was a tolerable distraction from his life sometimes, not that Naruto would ever know that. He had enough of an ego already after his miracle promotion to _Anbu_. Sasuke wondered whether he would have made Anbu if he hadn't left. He glanced at Naruto who was doing a crude re enactment of how he had killed an enemy ninja and smirked. Of course he would have. In fact since this bumbling idiot was _Anbu_ he would definitely have been captain by now.

They walked towards his home, Naruto doing most of the talking and Sasuke half pretending to listen. Their relationship hadn't changed much since he had come back. They still fought and insulted each other whenever opportunity presented itself, though now it had receded more into a comfortable routine than any real feelings of resentment. Sasuke glanced at Naruto who was still talking, oblivious to his surroundings. Sometimes he got the feeling that Naruto was still angry with him. It showed in very subtle ways – the extra hard 'friendly' slap on the back or the 'accidental' pressure on a wound when they were sparring. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, annoyed at this thought. He had more than repaid his debt of leaving. Listening to his idiot friends monologue was part of it. He scowled.

"Why exactly are you following me anyway?" His eyes traveled to his friends thread bare fish net shirt. If he felt so uncomfortable in clothes like that, why where them? Naruto took a moment to answer. _Why did he look so nervous?_

"I - I was trying to _talk_ to you Bastard. Sakura chan says you've been avoiding her lately."

Sasuke pffted. "I don't have time to deal with her clingy behavior and doesn't she have Lee to bother now?"

Naruto grinned, "It's more the other way around. She almost had a fit when Lee convinced Baa-chan to put him in her team."

"What goes around comes around," he muttered, feeling rather satisfied that Sakura was getting a taste of her own obsessive medicine.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Naruto shrugged and they walked together in companiable silence until Sasuke realized that his friends constant banter had stopped. Why exactly was he walking alone again? Surprised, he turned to see Naruto a few feet behind, walking right into a dingy lane. Naruto disappeared into the lane in a few seconds and Sasuke stood there, feeling rather offended. He waited for Naruto to emerge from the lane, grinning like an idiot and saying 'he lost his way' but he didn't. Sasuke blinked, not used to such behavior by the blond. It was almost like Naruto had forgotten he had been walking with him. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Not that he cared anyway.

Irritated with himself for even feeling slightly betrayed by the dobe's behavior, he turned around and walked straight ahead, ignoring the part of mind that itched to follow the dobe and see where he had vanished too. His lips thinned. He was Sasuke Uchiha. People followed _him_, not the other way around. Probably this was just some silly prank that the dobe was trying to play and he was not going to be stupid enough to fall for it. He smirked as he continued to his apartment.

_Usuratonkachi._

* * *

Naruto was hot. No, he was _boiling_. No, not good enough. His skin was on _fire_. Yeah, he thought, that was an apt description. He forced his legs to move quickly, hands stiff at his sides as he hurried towards his destination. His clothes folded and brushed against his skin, making every step almost like torture. _Why had he waited for so long_? He shouldn't have gone on that god dammed mission when he had known it would take so _long_. Stupid stupid stupid! Baa San had warned him. He could almost see her face red with anger, screaming at his stupidity if she found out he had delayed it for so long.

The thought made his walk faster, wincing at the sudden jolt of electricity that ran up his spine. He glanced downwards, wiping sweat out of his eyes, apprehensive of what he was going to see. The bulge in his pants was visible - but barely.

He shut eyes, desperately trying to control himself. What would Sakura chan say if she saw him like this? The bulge in his pants twitched. He cursed. _Think of something else. Think of something else. _His mind settled on Lee. The pressure wilted, if only every so slightly. Breathing a sigh of relief, he walked on. C'mon Uzumaki! The red light district is only a few minutes away. You can make it! He egged himself on.

Naruto kept his head down as a bunch of women passed by, gossiping about something that sound like 'untrustworthy' and 'too good looking for his own good.' He adjusted his loose pants, scurrying past them, relaxing when he heard the second part. They obviously couldn't be talking about him then. He hated it that he always felt slightly nervous whenever he spotted a group of people huddled close together and talking; But he knew that it was just a triggered reaction from his childhood.

He grimaced as he almost tripped over a rock, and the cloth of his pants grazed over his half erection. Kami sama, he thought. When he was like this, the sex was almost painful – that is in the beginning. He let himself smile slightly. It was useless to pretend to dislike it, even if it was because of the god damned Kyuubi.

He mentally ran through all the girls he could use for the first time. He needed someone tough. Someone who could handle him in this state, who wouldn't be terrified of getting a little hurt. His mind drifted to Sakura but he refused to let himself go there – not now. If he got too carried away he would wind up going to her and he did _not_ want her to know him when he was like this. Who knew whether he would be able to control himself if she was in the vicinity, anyway.

He tensed as this new fear coursed through him and he started jogging towards his destination. _Just a few more minutes,_ Naruto…and that was when he spotted him - A tall lone figure in the distance walking slowly forward with his hands stuffed in his pockets. Naruto could feel all the blood drain from his flushed face - It was Sasuke - teme...

A/N : The next chapter will be in Naruto's perspective. Reviews make me happy. :)

Owarii.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N : Forgive me, but I am going on an editing spree here. I cannot believe how shitty the first few chapters are. I am in the process of fixing that.

_"and that was when he spotted him - A tall lone figure in the distance, walking slowly forward with his hands stuffed in his pockets. Naruto could feel all the blood drain from his flushed face - It was Sasuke - teme..."  
_

Chapter 2 :

Of all the people! SHIT! Sasuke could _not_ know! It would almost be as bad as Sakura knowing. He felt a fierce burning in his chest as he thought of how hard he had worked to reach where he was. His friends loved him, acknowledged him, respected him – _Sasuke_ respected him. He would not lose that, not when he had sacrificed so much. The thought of his best friend finding out about his two monthly disease was like a bucket of ice cold water.

He took a deep trembling breath. If he acted normal, Sasuke wouldn't notice. He wouldn't _let_ him notice. Naruto would make sure of that. The best way out was to control the situation and that meant drawing Sasuke's attention to himself. So he could make sure he was the one directing the conversation.

"OI TEME!" he called out, his voice a little raspy. He continued jogging up to his only mildly surprised friend, who, after making sure he was near enough, silently turned back around and started walking again. Naruto took the cue and followed. Sasuke seemed his normal icy self, he hadn't even given the blond a cursory glance. Naruto rolled his eyes. What did he expect? A tearful '_Where have you been?_'

He walked beside Sasuke, who still hadn't given any indication of acknowledging his presence other than keeping pace with him. Naruto felt himself getting annoyed at his friends behavior. Usually Sasuke's coldness didn't affect him, but Today was an entirely different matter. He was sorely tempted to hit Sasuke on the head and then proceed to beat the shit out of him - in fact his hand twitched with need for just that- but he couldn't. He had to act _norma__l_ and he knew that being so silent was_ not_ normal. However socially inept the teme was, he would notice that something was off. So Naruto forced himself to grin, ignoring his face muscles that screamed in protest. A bead of sweat dripped down his scalp and matted another blond lock to his neck. THINK OF SOMETHING TO SAY YOU IDIOT!

"Watcha doing?" he asked, priding himself on a question that sounded reasonably normal. He knew Sasuke's answer would probably be monosyllabic but that was time enough to think of something else to say. Sasuke barely glanced at him and Naruto barely controlled his clenched fist. _Now was not the time.  
_  
"Walking," the teme grunted after a pause. _No shit Uchiha_ , Naruto thought as he was forced to walk faster to keep up with Sasuke. Not that he was complaining. The faster he walked, the faster he reached that infamous left detour on this road.

"Sakura-chan said that they gave you a b rank mission this time." He watched as black eyes focussed on him. An elegantly arched eyebrow was the only response. _Bastard_. Naruto managed to keep the grin on his face as he continued, finding it relatively easy to keep up the conversation now that he'd started it.

"Think you can handle it? Maybe if you can complete it they might think of letting you join my _Anbu_ team – you know as a kunai cleaner or something."

Naruto laughed more loudly than necessary, amazed at his own brilliance. Who would have thought that Sasuke's presence would actually make him think a little more clearly. His eyes drifted down to Sasuke's back and he found himself mesmerized by the dark blue of Sasuke's shirt. He noticed he wasn't wearing the trademark Uchiha emblem today. His eyes went lower, taking in the loose fitting black pants and slight swell of his backside. Naruto squinted. Wait. There was something wrong here. Was he actually checking out his best friends ass? _It's quite a nice ass though_, said a voice inside his head. NO! _It is not_. What was he _thinking_? Was he getting that desperate? Had he given the Kyuubi that much control? Appalled at his train of thoughts and sensing Sasuke was starting to look at him again, he clapped him harder than necessary on his back, trying to divert his attention .

It worked. "How long have you been waiting to say that?" Sasuke asked, sounding bored.

"All morning," he replied too relieved to sound embarrassed. That had been close. Too close. The bulge in his pants had reached painful proportions and his tight underwear wasn't making it any better. He closed his eyes. LEE - THINK OF LEE. GREEN LYCRA. GREEN LYCRA. He forced his eyes away from his best friends back and desperately tried to think of something that was not remotely arousing. His mind settled on his last mission. He had had to kill lots of people. Sad. Conflicting. Perfect.

He plunged into a long winded explanation of his week long mission, intent on making it as un interesting as possible. He knew Sasuke well enough to know that his friend would shut off within the first few words and sure enough, the Uchiha heir did not disappoint.

Naruto still continued with his act though, glancing in front now and then, counting the seconds till they reached the turn-off. It was almost intolerable now, like Sasuke's presence had made it worse. The street seemed almost hazy even though Naruto knew it was cool enough to wear a sweater. He was taking deep breaths to control himself from making a run for it to the whore houses.

He sneaked a look at Sasuke who was for some reason smirking at something. Stupid bastard, Naruto thought. He had been fine before he had turned up. He studied his friends neck for a moment. It was long and pale, he realised. Naruto would even call it delicate. _I wonder if its as easy to snap as it looks_. He blinked. Where the hell had that come from? One moment he was getting aroused by his best very _male_ friend's ass and the next he was being tempted to kill him. Crap. He was going crazy and if he didn't get rid of these impulses, he was going to do something he regretted.

Somewhere in the distance he heard Sasuke say something and it was only his will power that allowed it to register. Albeit a few seconds later.

"Why are you following me anyway?" The words were stark and rude and Naruto felt his mind go blank. Oh fuck. Sasuke was looking at him strangely. Did he suspect something? _Oh no_, he was looking at his shirt. He could not let Sasuke look any lower.

"I - I was trying to _talk_ to you Bastard. Sakura chan says you've been avoiding her lately."

Naruto almost cried in relief when Sasuke's eyes traveled back to his face and then to the road. He made his characteristic dismissal of what had just been said, and then added, "I don't have time to deal with her clingy behavior. And doesn't she have Lee to bother now?"

Naruto couldn't help grinning at his friends reaction, "It's more the other way around. She almost had a fit when Lee convinced Baa-chan to put him in her team."

Naruto watched his friends face carefully for any signs of suspicion but all he saw was his trademark smirk gracing his friends features. He heard Sasuke mutter something under his breath, and anxious that maybe Sasuke had figured out something was wrong he asked,

"What's that teme?"

"Nothing," Sasuke said, not looking at him anymore. They walked together in a silence that grated on Naruto's nerves and he was astounded at the teme's total oblivious-ness to his state . He couldn't help but feeling a little hurt. God dammit Uchiha! He was almost _dying_ here. He wanted to knock Sasuke out, preferably with a nice bonk to the head, and then run like the wind to his women. But he couldn't. He couldn't because it wouldn't be that easy to just knock his friend out and even if he did manage to miraculously do it by not getting into a fight, he would have to explain himself later. Which he was in no mood to do. He didn't think he would ever be.

He spotted the turn off to the left in the distance and thanked whatever God was out there for having a little compassion. The devil must have heard him for as soon as the thought flitted inside his head, a wave of searing heat crashed over him, threatening to consume whatever self control he had left .

He bit back a groan. _Only a few more feet._ Just a few more feet... he couldn't think coherently anymore. All his mind saw were visions of long limbs, sweaty skin, and tight overwhelming heat. So he stopped walking, hardly noticing Sasuke amble forward, before turning and sprinting into the lane.

The neon red and blue lights of the whore houses welcomed Naruto to their lair. Finally, he was here. He was safe. _He was home_.

***********************************  
3 days later :

Naruto whistled to himself, enjoying the sunshine on his face and wondering whether he would be able to run into Sakura in the library. He really wanted to meet her today, considering he had been avoiding her these past few days. His – problem - didn't really affect his normal behavior in everyday circumstances, unless of course he tried to delay his nightly visits to the whore houses, which he categorically had not. Especially not after what had happened 3 days ago.

He shuddered. He couldn't forget how close he had been to revealing his secret to the teme. It was only the bastard's indifference that had saved him from his humiliation. He swore never to do something that stupid , he thought, it lasted only four days. Which meant that yesterday was the last. After the initial days, needing to have sex with something living dissipated and his morning visits to the bathroom were satisfying enough for him. His mood lightened considerably.

"_Na_ruto!" a voice called.

Naruto turned, his grin widening. The day just kept getting better and better.

"Sakura-chan!"

"How did your mission go?" she asked, as she walked up to him.

"Excellent!" he said, enjoying the view of her legs that her short dress gave him. Sasuke was such a dumb ass for refusing a piece of that.

Sakura raised both eyebrows at his obvious staring and he smiled sheepishly, not realizing he had been that obvious. He was also surprised that his friend didn't look annoyed at all, in fact , she hadn't even given him the customary punch to his head. So Sakura wasn't angry that he had been openly gawking at her? This, he thought, as he searched for the right words, was a _miracle_! He couldn't help but wonder how far he could go.

"Sorry Sakura-chan, but can you really blame me?" He asked in his best imitation of sexy and tensed, ready to dodge her fists. But again, she surprised him. She looked a little taken aback, but not angry -and wait a minute- Naruto blinked, was she blushing?

"D – don't be stupid Naruto," she giggled.

Naruto gaped at her. Sakura had _giggled_ and Sasuke Uchiha was no where around. There was something wrong here. Sakura, for her part looked equally mortified at her reaction. She quickly turned away from him, cheeks tingeing the same shade of pink as her hair. For the first time in his entire life, Sakura was actually _responding_ to him. Naruto couldn't believe it.

"Anyway Naruto," Sakura said, sounding a little nervous, "I just came to give you a message."

"Message?" Naruto asked, wondering why Sakura was so fidgety. Could it be that she was attracted to him? He rolled the idea around in his head and found he didn't mind that at all. In fact, he was starting to enjoy her flushed face a little too much. His eyes drifted lower on their own volition, raking in the small curves of her waist. Mmm, _he wouldn't mind some of that_. Naruto froze as this thought was accompanied by a surge of blood to the wrong regions. _Oh fuck_, he thought, appalled. _This could not be happening again_. His four days were over. _Over._

"Yes. Hokage Sama wants to speak with you," she said, playing with the hem of her skirt. Naruto was starting to sweat and he was suddenly glad that Sakura was refusing to make eye contact.

"Tell her I'll be there after lunch," he said. His voice sounded rough as familiar serpentine coils of heat started to weave themselves around him, burning his skin and making him wince. Oh fuck, Naruto thought, his mind swirling in fear and confusion. Why was this happening? It never lasted five days! He had just fucked his way through half of Konoha's whore's last night for kami's sake! So what the hell was wrong? He had to get out of here before his problem became uncontrollable, or worse - visible.

As if Sakura could hear his thoughts, her gaze suddenly dropped – eyes hooking to where his pants had become uncomfortably tight. Her cheeks puffed slightly as a small breath of 'oh' escaped her lips. She looked torn between running away and staring in morbid facination.

Naruto felt an intense wave of want surge through him as he saw Sakura bite her lip unconsciously. He let out a little groan. The kyuubi was going out of control. He had to have her - Have _anyone_.

No! not _Sakura,_ he thought desperately. Anyone but her - _Please_ Kyuubi, _stop_!

His plea was ignored. If anything, it only got stronger. He felt like he was trapped in a glass prison, powerless, as he watched his own body betray him. He shouted himself hoarse to stop but even to his own ears his voice sounded muffled and distant. Like in an insane nightmare, he looked on helplessly as he took a half step towards her, hands automatically reaching for the body that was currently tormenting him. Sakura flinched back, looking nervous and confused.

She's scared of me, he thought dimly. Scared. _Scared._ The word wrapped itself around his mind again and again until he felt slightly sick. He would _not_ let the Kyuubi harm his friends.

The prison inside his head cracked with a sound that Naruto swore was real and he stopped himself abruptly, letting his outstretched hands fall limply to his side. He felt giddy, feverish, weak, but at the same time he was teetering on the edge of a physical need so powerful he could barely think.

"Sa - kura –," he started, but it came out sounding more like a moan than a real word. Sakura took a step back, her slightly frightened expression not leaving her face. Naruto felt like screaming in frustration.

"Anyway Naruto, I-," she said, quickly tearing her eyes away from his crotch, "I should go."

"WAIT! Sakura- chan!" Naruto called, desperate to make her understand but she had already turned and fled.

Naruto blinked, feeling a lump in his throat that made it difficult to swallow. What would Sakura think of him now? He had almost _attacked_ her! Naruto Uzumaki, the future Rokudaime Hokage, had almost attacked one of his most precious people… and _why_?

He almost growled at the answer. Because of the god forsaken Kyuubi! How would the village be able to trust him when he couldn't even keep himself in check? He couldn't live his life fearing that the Kyuubi would take control of him one day. The fact that his dreaded heat was becoming worse as the years went by was a bad enough sign. What he needed was a permanent solution to his problem. How he was going to find this particular solution, he didn't have a clue- but the first step of course was getting rid of the most obvious problem – the bulge in his pants, which, going by the scandalized stares directed at him, some villagers were beginning to notice.

Next Chapter : Tsunade to the rescue!

Owarii~


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3 :

"But Baa- saaan! I'm telling you its getting worse."

The Hogake sighed, wondering whether closing her eyes would block out Uzumaki's constant whine.

"Are you even listening to me?" His voice was suddenly sharp.

"You should be grateful that I put away everything for this meeting, brat."

"Didn't you hear me? I almost attacked-"

"Haruno, I know," the Hokage interrupted, raising her palm for him to stop.

Naruto barely suppressed a growl. He hadn't slept for days. He was worn out and exhausted, on top of which he had confined himself to his apartment in fear that he might hurt his friends, and the woman in front of him wore an almost indifferent expression on her face.

"Don't look at me like that, Uzumaki," she snapped, opening her eyes to glare at him.

"Well then _do_ something! I'm going _crazy_ here!" Naruto fumed.

The Hokage sighed again, her large bosom heaving with displeasure,

"What exactly do you want me to do?" She asked, leaning back into her chair and raising her eyebrow at the man in front of her. The blue eyes widened at her response and blond hair shook in anger as he leaned forward.

"I want you to fix it! That's your job isn't it?" He said, barely suppressing his irritation. "Do something about the Kyuubi! He's getting out of control."

The Hokage narrowed her eyes, "_I_ can't do anything about the Kyuubi, only you can."

Naruto clenched his fist. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"If you stop shouting maybe you'll let me explain," she snapped.

"Fine!" he said, folding his arms over his chest and leaning back into his chair. "I'm listening."

"You're telling me that this is the first time your heat has lasted for so long?"

"It's not a _heat,"_ Naruto said, hating the word.

"For gods sake brat, don't be so sensitive -"

"I'm _not_ sensitive-"

"Do you want me to help or are you going to act like a child all day?" She asked, her patience running thin. Naruto's eyes flashed for a moment but he remained silent.

"Good," she said, glare still in place. "Now like I said before, since this is the first time your - need - has lasted this long, we should first look at what was different this time."

"Nothing was different. I've spent loads of these times in Konoha, its still never lasted so many days.'

"How long has it been?"

Naruto slumped a little in his chair as he answered, "Two weeks."

The Hokage's eyebrow twitched, "Really?"

"Yes! Now can we get on with this?" He was beginning to regret ever coming to her for advice.

"Okay, so let's recount what you did before it started."

Naruto sighed, "I was on that mission; you know, the sound one? And mid way-"

"Wait a minute," Tsunade interrupted, her voice rising, "You went for that ?"

Naruto blinked, realising a little too late what he had let slip, "Err..I-"

"When did you return?" she asked, her voice dangerously low. Naruto winced, that tone of hers was worse then her yelling.

"On the 14th", he replied quietly.

The pencil she was holding snapped .

"14th? ARE YOU STUPID, BOY? YOU KNOW VERY WELL THAT YOU SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR IT BY THE _12TH_!"

"I tried ok?" Naruto said, annoyed at her reaction.

"I told you to go only if you were _sure_! You didn't need-"

"Well I did," he said, irritation bubbling at the old woman's anger, "and blaming this on me is not _helping_-"

"Err, Hokage sama?" A small voice asked.

"_What?"_ both of them snapped, turning to the door.

Sakura, to her credit, didn't even flinch,

"Erm...we had a meeting scheduled for now?"

Tsunade unclenched her fist, "I'm a little busy at the moment Haruno, as you can see." She threw Naruto a scowl.

Sakura coloured slightly, "Gomenasai. Ill come later." Tsunade nodded, waiting before the door was closed before turning back to Naruto. He looked a little calmer now, as if Sakura's presence had reminded him why he was here.

"You must accept responsibility for your mistake Naruto," she said, a little glad herself of the interruption. A combination of both their tempers was not a wise thing to witness.

"I do," he sighed, rubbing at his forehead which had started to ache a little. "But what I don't understand is why waiting for just two days affected me so badly."

"What happened after you reached Konoha?" she asked.

"Well, I headed straight for the red light district. The road was pretty much deserted except for these women who were out shopping."

"Anyone else?"

"Sasuke," he answered, feeling uneasy as the alien feelings of that day bubbled to the surface .

"What's the matter?" Tsunade asked, tilting her head curiously.

"Nothing," he lied. "I was with him only for a few minutes, then I saw the turning and after that…," he trailed off, gesturing vaguely with his hands.

"And the day you met Sakura?"

"It was supposed to be the first day after,' he said. "I felt absolutely normal but when I saw Sakura, something…happened."

Naruto paused, not wanting to elaborate any further. This whole thing was giving him a head ache.

"Have you met any of your other friends? Especially female kuinichi?" The Hokage asked.

"Err… Ten Ten was in my Anbu group. But I didn't react the way I reacted with Sakura or- " Naruto stopped, suddenly aware of whose name he had been about to say. _Sasuke_. No. No way in hell was was he going to admit something like that to Tsunade baa san. _Ever_.

"What's the matter Naruto?" Tsunade asked, her eyes boring into the man in front of her. "Sakura or whom?"

Naruto felt a heat around his collar, and he knew that a slight blush was starting to stain his cheeks. Oh god, Tsunade was going to force an answer out him..

"Brat, if you don't tell me the truth, I won't be able to help you," she said, firmly. Though, from what Naruto had just said and his sudden change in body language, she didn't think it was hard to figure out who the other person was. She almost smiled, albeit maliciously. She wondered how the Uchiha would react when he found out that he might be the object of a very horny demon vessel's affection. She snorted.

"What's so funny?" Naruto asked, angry. But Tsunade knew that it was just anger brought on by denial and guilt.

"You shouldn't be embarrassed about your feelings," she said as gently as she could.

Naruto's face coloured, "I'm not embarrassed! And this isn't me, remember? It's the Kyuubi."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, "If it was the Kyuubi, then you would have felt the same thing when confronted with other male members of your Anbu team, Tenten, or even those women who you met on the way to the whore houses."

Naruto sighed, "But why is this happening _now_? I've met Sasuke when I was like this before. Nothing ever happened."

"You've only met him when your heat" (Naruto glared at her), " – need was sated and secure. This time, you met both Sasuke and Sakura after waiting for three days."

Naruto was silent and Tsunade shrugged, "Well, my theory is that you react badly only when you come in contact with someone you have feelings for."

"I have feelings for you. How come I don't feel like jumping you?" Naruto asked, a slight challenge in his eyes.

She laughed. "That's because you only react to someone you're also attracted to, brat."

Naruto looked slightly pale at the implication. The Hokage lips twitched, reading his thoughts, "He is a very beautiful person. Lot's of people are attracted to him."

"That's because most people don't know him from the inside," he snapped. "So this thing isn't going to stop untill I," he paused. "Sleep with someone I consider as a potential longterm partner?"

Tsunade nodded, "The whore's haven't helped, have they? They might satisfy you but the heat hasn't stopped and the Kyuubi makes trouble only with certain people. I think he's trying to guide you."

Naruto paled, "I think I prefer Sakura- chan."

"Don't be stupid. Sakura is engaged," Tsunade warned.

"So what?" he said, but after a moment he groaned. "You're right, she's off limits. But you're wrong about the teme. I'm not attracted to him. That's not possible."

Tsunade sighed, "Naruto…"

"No," he said stubbornly, "I'll find someone else."

"Really? Like who?" She was starting to get tiered of this. _Why couldn't he just be honest with himself?_

"Like – like Hinata! She's always had a thing for me right?" Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the sly smile that Naruto was sporting. People really underestimated him sometimes.

"Do what you like," she said, going back to pretending to read a file. "But remember one thing – if you don't find someone that calms your need down permanently, it will keep getting worse and worse."

Naruto nodded, feeling a little more in control . This would be easy. After all, seeing how Sakura had reacted to him the other day, seducing someone else would be piece of cake. He grinned, Tsunade was wrong. If Sasuke was the one who he was supposed to be with, how come he hadn't responded to him like Sakura had? It was perfectly logical. He would go meet his friends and if he felt anything remotely like the heat coming on to him, he would leave, but at least he would know which one of them would be able solve his problem for him.

*

Sasuke was bored. Bored and restless. He lay on prickly grass, hands folded behind his head and stared at the stars spread out before him. If he had been in the right mood, he might have even called the bruised, midnight sky beautiful, but today that wasn't the case. He didn't really fully understand why he felt so restless, but he gathered that it had something to do with the dobe. He realized he did _not_ like this feeling at all.

Usually he and Naruto made it a point to train with each other when not on missions but this had not happened for almost a month. Despite Naruto being in Konoha for the last few weeks. He was bored of training by himself and had even tried sparring with that half clothed maniac, Sai. However _that_ had turned out to be a disaster he'd rather not think about.

Sasuke had never really made any effort to see Naruto once he was back from missions. He frankly didn't need to. The dobe would announce his arrival loudly enough, and they would meet at the training grounds since both preferred to train early . Since that day, almost a month ago, when Naruto had disappeared on him, he hadn't seen or heard anything about the loud mouth. As much as he hated to admit it, he was starting to get a little concerned. Well, not concerned as such, but still, Sasuke had gotten used to constant pestering of the blond and even though the absence of it was not altogether a bad thing, Sasuke decided that today he was going to do something about it. After all, when he didn't have his usual sparring partner, his own skills tended to suffer too.

With this comforting rationalization in mind, Sasuke stood up, brushing the little pieces of grass from his hair and made his way to Naruto's apartment. He would definitely find out what was wrong with Naruto today, if it was the last thing he did.

He stood outside Naruto's apartment building, wondering why in hell he was hesitating. This was only an apartment, he had been here a few times before, but then, why was he feeling a little uneasy? Squashing his doubts, he decided that the door wasn't an option. If Naruto was avoiding him for some reason then he obviously wouldn't answer the door.

He quietly jumped to the ledge outside the bedroom window, making sure he hid his chakra. He kneeled under the open window, looking around to make sure no nosy neighbours were spying on him. He lifted his head a little, straining to hear something that would tell him whether Naruto was awake or asleep. The only thing he could hear, however, was the fluttering of the hideous orange curtains that were hung around his window.

He contemplated using his Sharingan, but then that would mean revealing his chakra. So Sasuke, ignoring the flutter of unease in his gut, in one graceful leap landed quietly on the floor of Naruto's bedroom. He tensed, ready to be pounced on by an indignant and angry Naruto but he soon realized that he was alone in the room.

Surprised, he tip toed to the door and opened it to peek into the sitting cum kitchen to see that it was empty too. Feeling both relieved and disappointed at the same time, Sasuke decided he might as well do some investigating. He turned back to face the bedroom, activating his Sharingan now that he knew it was safe to.

The room was bearably neat and simple. Next to the window was the bed, covered by crumpled (_orange_, really dobe!) bed sheets and a blanket, on the right were two chairs standing neatly with their backs to the wal, with a few folded clothes resting on them, and on the left was a dresser on top of which several framed pictures were kept. Nothing out of the ordinary. Except for the fact that it was two in the morning and the dobe wasn't home.

Of course, Sasuke reasoned, there could be many reasons for that. He may have just left for a mission in the evening, or he may be out in a pub with that annoying dog boy or the lazy Nara or he might just be out with a girl. Feeling a little stupid and disgruntled and not at all used to it, Sasuke decided that he would check the bathroom just to be sure. He swung open the door and inspected the bathroom. It was white and a little wet but what struck Sasuke was the smell. His nostrils flared as he recognized the musky reek. Grimacing, he shut the door with a dull thud. Disgusting, he thought. If the dobe was going to jerk off so often, then he should at least try to get rid of that suffocating smell.

He looked around the room once more and his eyes fell on the pictures on the dresser. He paused, unsure, before quickly making his way to the cluttered top. The biggest frame was of him, Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi, as team 7. The nostalgia made him smile slightly. Another picture was of Naruto and Sakura, one of Temari, Gaara and Naruto , another of himself when he was in the detention centre behind bars, scowling with Naruto and Sakura on the outside grinning at the camera on either side of him.

There were at least half a dozen others with various people and Sasuke sighed, trying to ignore the slight ache in his chest. Stupid, sentimental dobe he thought. He didn't see the point of photographs, they were just painful reminders of what he had had, and what he stood to lose. The first thing he had done after his brother had destroyed his family was to burn all the pictures he had of him. He had kept a few photographs of his family though, and had put them up in the sitting room so he could look at them everyday and never forget. Each photograph had been like a tiny hook attached to his heart, pulling at him, taunting him and reminding him of his revenge and what he still had to do. After Itachi had died , he had stored all the photographs, except one of his parents, in a box and hidden it in a small closet. He didn't think he would ever have the courage or strength to look through them again.

Feeling more than a little gloomy, Sasuke replaced the photographs carefully, deciding that he had done enough of prying. The dobe was no where to be seen and it was obvious from the normalcy in the apartment that his concern had been an over reaction. He was more than a little annoyed that he had actually even bothered to come here. He walked towards the window and was almost about to justsu his way home when he felt a wave of burning red chakra behind him.

"Are Uchiha's in the habit of breaking into other people's homes?" A deep, amused voice asked.

A/N : evil cliffie.. I know.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: ENJOY

Chapter 4:

Sasuke froze. For a moment he considered running away, but then that would defeat the entire purpose of him coming here in the first place. So he controlled his hand that had twitched to his kunai pouch and turned around, slowly.

Naruto stood around five feet away dressed in jounin pants and a faded orange shirt, arms folded loosely in front of his chest, looking quite at ease with the whole situation. Smoky red chakra curled around him and Sasuke frowned at the red slitted eyes of his friend .

"Dobe," he acknowledged, though not moving from his position from the window sill. Did Naruto want to fight? Was that why his eyes had turned that colour?

"What are you doing here teme?" Naruto asked, looking more than a little eerie as he moved forward to sit on the end bed.

Sasuke quickly turned so he could face him. Naruto was now much closer, lounging casually on the foot of the bed with only the window on the right between them. Sasuke felt his unease increase. There was definitely something wrong here.

"Well?" Naruto prompted, not looking at him but out of the window.

"I haven't seen you around for sometime," he said, hating how awkward he sounded.

Naruto turned to him with a slow smile, "You really missed me that much, teme?"

Sasuke blinked, "No," he replied. "It's just that I thought you may be unwell..."

Naruto's grin widened, "Well, I guess you can call it that."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, not liking the way the dobe was looking at him. It made him want to take a step backwards, away from his gaze. He scowled. Why was feeling so nervous? Was it some genjutsu the dobe was pulling? No, he was horrible at that. Was it the Kyuubi's chakra? No, that wasn't it either. He'd faced that chakra tons of times before, but this time - _something was different._

"You're sick?"

"Not exactly," Naruto breathed, his eyes not leaving the taller man's lean form.

Sasuke waited for him to elaborate but when nothing of the sort happened, he started to get irritated. The dobe was not saying anything purpose and going by the canine grin on his face, he was enjoying it.

"If you're just going to sit there and stare at me like an idiot," Sasuke snapped. "I'm leaving."

Naruto's smile drooped a little, "So soon?" he asked, trying to sound innocent and failing.

Sasuke's hands itched to throw a kunai at his face but he controlled himself. Going by the dobe's stranger than normal behavior, there was obviously something wrong with him. So obviously the solution was to come back later when it would be easier to talk .

Satisfied with this conclusion,he turned to leave. It was when he had one foot on the window sill that he sensed a change in the flow of chakra next to him. Instinctively, he dodged and whirred around to see Naruto with outstretched hands standing in the place he had just been, looking very much like his favorite ramen had just been snatched away from him.

"Why'd you go and do that for?" Naruto whined, turning to him with a pout on his face.

"Because you lunged at me you idiot!" Sasuke said, not knowing whether to be angry at his friend's behavior or laugh at the expression on his face.

"That's because you said you were leaving."

"Which I'm still doing!" he fumed, glaring. If Naruto wanted to block the window, that was fine, he would just use the door. He considered backing away but that would be admitting he considered the dobe a threat - which was laughable. Sasuke Uchiha did not get intimidated by anyone, let alone the usuratonkachi who was acting like more like a child than a 22 year old shinobi.

With a last withering glare at Naruto, who was still blocking the window and staring at him with glowing red eyes, Sasuke turned and walked brusquely to the door.

Naruto watched Sasuke march to his bedroom door in mild confusion. He wanted to stop him. He wanted to make him stay and keep him company for a while, but the teme just wasn't willing to _listen_. He didn't understand what was happening to him fully. All he knew is that he needed to keep Sasuke near him, or something bad would happen.

A smaller part of him was yelling at him to let the teme leave, but he squashed it. What did his rational mind know about want anyway? The fact was that even though he had just spent 2 hours with Konoha's most infamous whores, the mere site of Sasuke had sent him spiraling down into a burning hell of want all over again. And he was tired of it. Tired of not being satisfied anymore and of not being satisfied _enough_. He had to get rid of this and if Sasuke was the way to do it – so be it. He didn't have to like it and he was sure he would hate himself in the morning for it but all he knew now was that Sasuke could not leave him. Every fibre in his being was screaming at him to make him stay.

"S – Sasuke... wait," he said. Sasuke didn't. The click of the door knob turning made his heart beat wildly in panic. He -could-not- leave.

Without thinking, Naruto pounced. Sasuke must have been anticipating some sort of attack because he jerked to the left and without missing a beat, a leg whirred into Naruto's vision. He ducked, not letting Sasuke regain his balance before throwing a flurry of punches at him. Each attack was deflected and Nartuo narrowly avoided a kunai aimed at his arm. He didn't really know how this had turned into a fight, but even with the Kyuubi's chakra clouding his mind, he understood that when it came to the both of them, a fight was better than nothing.

"Dobe! What is wrong with you!" Sasuke hissed, as he landed a safe distance away from him in front of the dresser.

Naruto felt his own anger rising. Why did there always have to be something wrong with _him_? Why couldn't the bastard just listen to him for once and stay like he wanted him to? Was that too much to ask? After saving his ass and hauling him back from wherever the hell he'd gone off too, is this the way he was repaid?. He didn't want to want Sasuke. If he could, he would have gladly chosen Sakura and lived happily ever after. Even Hinata would have been fine but it hadn't worked. The damn teme just had to mess his life up some how, didn't he?

"Just shut up, bastard," he snarled as he lunged for him again.

Sasuke widened his eyes in surprise as Naruto came at him faster than before. He dove to the right and heard glass shatter as the dresser mirror behind him exploded into tiny pieces.

Sasuke landed with a oof on the ground next to the bed, rolling to the right almost instantly to avoid Naruto's next attack. He didn't know what in hell was wrong with the dobe, but he knew he had to end this. He was much more comfortable exchanging blows with his friend than any sort of real conversation but he felt uneasy about the chakra swirling around Naruto.

As he ducked and deflected the heavy blows aimed at him, his sharingan kept a close eye on the red chakra, which seemed to be trying to get closer to him every time Naruto attacked. He frowned. He didn't want to hurt the dobe, especially when it was obvious that he wasn't himself. Nor did he want to torch the apartment (this was a civilian residence), which he was sorely tempted to do. However Naruto didn't give him time to think as he attacked again and he barely managed to escape a sharp mirror fragment that a clone had hurled at him. Shit, he thought. If Naruto made more kage bunshin, he was done for. This wasn't a open ground they were fighting in but an enclosed space where numbers made a huge difference. He needed to move the fight elsewhere.. or he was going to lose.

Naruto was getting frustrated. Why couldn't the teme just stand still and lose already! He and two clones had almost filled up the space in the tiny room and Sasuke was on the backfoot. He was panting slightly but didn't look the slightest bit nervous. In fact the teme looked a little pissed. Which pissed off Naruto in turn. Shouldn't Sasuke be admitting defeat right about now? He knew that the chidori or the katon jutsu were too dangerous in a crowded apartment complex like this. Sasuke had no choice but to give up. He had won.

"What's the matter, teme?" Naruto smirked, "Going to run away through the window?"

Sasuke scowled, hands quickly forming seals. Naruto's eyes widened. Surely the teme wasn't –

"Katon!Housenka no jutsu!"

Sasuke let loose a small fireball aiming for Naruto and sprinted for the door. He needed a bigger fighting space, even if it was the sitting room. The two clones poofed out of existence as they hurled themselves in the way to avoid the curtains catching fire.

Sasuke's heart beat faster – the door was just a foot away. He reached out his hand for the the knob in triumph. He had made it.

It was therefore understandable that he was a little confused when he felt a slight tingling around his foot. He looked down, half curiously, as a delicate tendril of red chakra circled around his foot. Almost like a hangman's noose, it tightened around his ankle and before he could comprehend why it was there he was crashing to the floor, with the heavy bulk of Naruto following.

"Argh!" Sasuke grunted as he was slammed into the hard floor.

He rolled himself onto his back, already struggling against the weight on top of him but before he could get up Naruto punched him painfully in the jaw. Sasuke saw stars and went slack only for a second but it was enough for Naruto. One fluid movement had both his wrists pinned to the floor. The blond grinned down at his friend triumphantly.

"Naruto," Sasuke warned, "Get _off_ me!" he bucked his hips, trying to get the dobe off of him but it only succeeded in Naruto pushing him further into the floor with his weight. Sasuke wanted to scream in frustration. How the hell had this happened? He did not lose fights so badly. He strained against the harsh grip on his arms but they didn't budge an inch.

He heard a soft chuckle above him, "Just give up teme."

Sasuke glared at the face that was hovering only inches from his own.

"In your dreams dobe," he spat.

Naruto scowled as Sasuke again tried to flip them over, trying to use his longer legs as leverage. They had a silent struggle on the floor before it ended with Sasuke being punched in the lungs and collapsing onto the floor again.

"Why'd you have to be stubborn and violent," Naruto complained, his ribs hurting where Sasuke had fisted him.

"You're the one who attacked me first, you idiot!' he gasped out. Naruto studied his friend's pale face for a moment and then laughed,

"True, and you lost.'

"You cheated," Sasuke couldn't help himself.

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did-" Sasuke stopped, groaning. _What the hell was he doing?_ Was he actually taking part in an insane conversation with an obviously insane Naruto? This had gone far enough. Naruto's eyes showed no signs of returning to normal and he did not like the fact that the suffocating red chakra was beginning to curl around him too.

"Fine, you won – for now. So get _off _of me_."_

Naruto stared. Did Sasuke say _get off of him_? The idea was absurd. If he got up, Sasuke would either leave or attack him again. He tightened his grip on Sasuke's arms. He rather liked his friend like this. His body was telling him that this was how it should be. Sasuke next to him ( _not necessarily underneath_) and not going anywhere too soon.

Sasuke watched as the dobe grinned stupidly at him. The grip on his wrists was so tight that he was sure the circulation had been cut off a long time ago. His muscles hurt and for some reason he felt light headed. Had he hit his head during the fight? Was that why he felt so dizzy? Stupid fucking dobe, he cursed. This was all his fault. Was it the Kyuubi that was making him act like this?

"Sasuke," Naruto mumbled, his eyes boring into black ones beneath.

"What?" Sasuke bit out, glaring.

"Nothing." The blond gazed down at his best friend, who had stopped struggling but was still straining against the grip he had on him. It was an exercise in futility and both men knew it. If they had been in the reverse position, it would have been impossible for Naruto to throw Sasuke off too. It was just bad luck on Sasuke's part that he had to trip . Fate must be on his side today. What was even better was that even though he was so close to Sasuke, he didn't feel uncomfortable in the slightest. Which was a new feeling for Naruto. He felt no conflict, just ... satisfaction. He smiled at this thought. Sasuke even smelled good.

Curious, he dipped his head to the crook of his friend's neck, ignoring the flinch of the body beneath him, and breathed in deeply. He almost purred as he memorized the earthy and sweaty smell of his companion. Why exactly had he not noticed before that Sasuke smelled even better than Sakura-chan?

"Naruto," Sasuke growled. "What in hell are you _doing."_

Naruto ignored him. Why couldn't the teme talk when they were having a proper conversation? Where had all the '_hn's_' gone now?

His eyes traveled to Sasuke's furious face and Naruto knew that if he let him up now, he would surely be castrated. But since that was not going to be any time soon, why not enjoy this opportunity?

Sasuke must have heard what he was thinking for a new wave of struggling started, though weaker than the last one. He looked more drained too, Naruto realised, noticing that the sharingan had bled out a long time ago. He felt a prickle of worry. Had he hurt him more than he thought he had? No, he couldn't smell a lot of blood around. His eyes followed the red wisps of chakra that had woven around Sasuke and let out a small, 'Oh' of understanding. The Kyuubi's red haze was draining Sasuke of his own chakra.

"Sorry Sasuke teme," he said softly, knowing that this had in no way been a fair fight.

"Sorry for what?" came the strained reply. Naruto frowned slightly at the small quiver of fear in his friend's voice. Why was Sasuke teme afraid? He wasn't going to hurt him. He just wanted to _be_ with him. Nothing more.

Not knowing how else to comfort him, Naruto lowered his head and licked him gently on the neck.

This must be a nightmare, Sasuke thought dazedly. The only difference was that instead of a mangekyu wielding Itachi, an insane Naruto was crouched on all fours above him, holding him still while he was forcibly sniffed. He prayed to God that he would wake up soon. Glaring seemed to bounce off Naruto and speaking took too much out of himself . He didn't know why he was feeling so weak, though he had a nasty feeling it had something to with the demonic chakra that had sneaked up on him.

Naruto was looking at him with something akin to confusion and worry and Sasuke felt like shoving something in his eye. Of course he should be worried, he cursed. Because when he got out of this, Naruto was not going to be left _alive_. Sasuke didn't want to admit it, but he was beginning to feel slightly afraid. He had stopped rationalizing some time ago that the look in the blond's eyes wasn't the look many an adoring woman and man had given him, and was slowly accepting the fact that dobe ( with the help of the Kyuubi) may have other intentions other than just beating him in a fight.

To make it worse, Naruto's whisker marks had become more prominent than before, making his seem almost feral in the moonlight. He hadn't missed the sharp brush of canine's against his skin either, when the dobe had – he paused, feeling more than a little furious at the thought – _sniffed_ him.

He turned his head to to look at the man above him, who still to Sasuke resembled more an out of control puppy dog, than any real menacing threat. He groaned, correction - A puppy dog with sharp teeth, lustful eyes and a dangerous chakra under whom he was currently trapped. Naruto suddenly lurched forward again and Sasuke turned his face away on reflex, fear spiking his insides.

Something wet and warm was running along the pulse of his neck, making him completely rigid. _What the fu –_

A/N : :)


	5. Chapter 5

CHP5 : Acceptance

Naruto flinched back in surprise when the teme started struggling again. Obviously the Kyuubi's chakra wasn't swallowing enough of his chakra. Or probably, he thought smiling fondly, Sasuke was just one of the toughest guys he knew.

Which, of course, made his current task of keeping him down extremely difficult. He didn't know why the teme had reacted so badly to being comforted ( ok, so maybe he knew a little ), but he also understood that they were currently in a very critical stage. The Kyuubi had faded into the background, not like earlier in the night, but his instincts were still carving up a hole in brain. And right now, they were telling him that Sasuke needed to stay right where he was. The teme needed to learn to stay calm and comfortable around and underneath him. If he let Sasuke up right now, all it would achieve was more violence.

Sasuke managed to wriggle one arm free and Naruto narrowly avoided the swinging fist. In reflex, he raised his own and eyes hardening, punched him square in the solar plexus. Naruto watched, feeling only a little satisfaction as the teme's eyes watered in pain before falling back onto the ground again, this time unconscious. Naruto sighed, moving so he now sat on his friends stomach, and checked whether he was really out cold or was faking it. He doubted it though. That punch would have severely disabled Sasuke even in normal circumstances.

The night was suddenly quiet again and Naruto listened for any awake and nosy neighbors. When he didn't hear anything, he slumped , looking down at his passed out teme who somehow didn't look helpless or vulnerable even when he clearly was at Naruto's mercy.

He found that it was difficult to look away from the bastard's face even when it had a funny painful grimace on it, like now. He bent over, his face centimeters away from the ivory skin and before he could stop himself he was exploring the vast expanse of exposed skin of the teme's neck. It wasn't a frenzied rush nor was it particularly gentle, but to Naruto it was more satisfying than all the nights he had had with all the whores, _combined_.

He groaned, the hardness between his legs returning with a new force. He felt like flipping Sasuke over and getting it over with now - but he - he couldn't.

Sasuke would never forgive him. Neither would he ever forgive himself. He could not hide behind the excuse of the Kyuubi's influence anymore. The Kyuubi had just nudged him in the right direction - this was all his responsibility. When he had returned from an unsuccessful attempt to find a substitute for Sakura or Sasuke, to find the teme just waiting in his house - it had been hard to ignore the temptation. He had not been prepared for the shock of pleasure by just _seeing_ him again. So he had consciously let his instincts take over and he had enjoyed every minute of it. Including now.

He grinned into the neck of the teme and bit particularly hard into the junction of the neck and shoulder. Sasuke stirred beneath him but didn't wake up and Naruto relaxed. This was going better than he had imagined.

After a few more minutes of making sure that that no one would mistake the marks on the teme's neck for anything but what they were, Naruto stood up and headed straight for the bathroom to relieve the pressure in his groin. He now knew, without a doubt, that Sasuke was the answer to his problems. Unfortunately, this revelation had just sprouted a menacing number of complications. The stubborn, cold, prissy bastard was the one that was going to make his miserable, strange life, normal again. _But how the hell was he going to convince Sasuke of that though?_

_break-break-break-break_

Sasuke was dreaming. He was standing in a vast empty plane and could see nothing but snow carpeted countryside. Wind whipped his face and snow wet his clothes, but Sasuke did not feel cold. Curious, he looked down at himself and was surprised to see that he wore only a thin shirt and boxer shorts. Strange, he thought. Where was the heat coming from? The warmth that enveloped him was comforting. Comforting and soothing. He sighed. When was the last time he had felt like this… so _peaceful_? A large snow flake drifted on to his neck and the sudden cold stung him slightly. He raised his hand to remove the flake but stopped when the flake melted into a warm droplet of liquid. Huh, he thought. That was nice. He leaned back slightly, as more flakes fell from the sky, ignoring the slight nip in the beginning for the wonderful sensation later. It was almost, he paused, embarrassed at the thought – _arousing_.

The snow swirled and rolled around him and Sasuke thought it was best to start moving. He never did like staying still in one place after all. He tried taking a step forward but found it difficult. Like something was forcefully holding him back. He tried again and this time he moved an inch before being tugged back. Now a little worried that this pleasant dream might just be a nightmare in disguise, he looked behind warily, half expecting Itachi to be the one holding him back.

But it wasn't his brother. It wasn't the landscape of snow either. It was a blazing sun of orange and yellow with the heat coming off of it almost burning his skin. Huh, he thought. It was somehow almost painfully familiar. Strong, reassuring, yet almost vulnerable in its intensity .It sort of reminded him of – wait a minute, he thought. There was something wrong here...

His eyes flew open, "_NARUTO_!"

A/N: WHEEEE!


	6. Chapter 6

_CHAPTER 6 :_

Naruto blinked open his eyes and wondered why his bed seemed smaller than he remembered. His gaze rested on the pale broad back presented to him and grinned. _Of course_. How could he forget. After he had finished jerking himself off last night, he had contemplated taking Sasuke back to his apartment but his mind had recoiled at the thought. After so much hard work, he would be dammed if he was going to let the other man go. So here the teme was, oblivious, and fast asleep on his bed.

_His bed_. Naruto felt the faint murmurs of panic stir inside him. After all, when Sasuke woke up, it was going to be hell on earth. But what about after that? Would what happened yesterday scare away the teme for ever?

He tensed, a bitter taste in his mouth. He could of course _tell_ Sasuke that if he didn't give in he would be signing a death warrant for him - but he didn't want to have Sasuke like that. He wanted the teme to be with him because he wanted to, not because he was obligated into it. And what if Sasuke didn't feel the same way about him? A splinter of fear made itself known but he refused to give in. It wasn't possible that it was only one sided. He knew for a fact Sasuke cared about him. He just needed to poke a little deeper to see if there was something else.

He contemplated leaving the bed so Sasuke would at least wake up alone but the Kyuubi rumbled in disagreement . The feeling of having a strong reassuring warmth next to him was addictive, to say the least. He didn't remember the last time he felt so _secure_ . He knew that he had friends he could rely on but what Sasuke was giving him now was incomparable. All he wanted was to settle down into the warmth.

Deciding he wanted more, he scooted closer to the body in front of him, until his nose touched the junction of the teme's neck and breathed in deeply. He almost melted as the familiar scent sent tendrils of pleasure curling around his spine. The dark marks on the neck in front of him seemed to be calling out for more attention and he couldn't help but be tempted. Slowly he pushed himself further up the bed so he could align himself properly. Sasuke's hair tickled his nose and he fought the urge not to sneeze. He wanted at least a few moments of peace before the teme woke up.

He hesitated only a second before wrapping his arm around the strong chest to pull him closer. It felt good to have someone to hold like this, even if it was Sasuke. He let his tongue flick tentatively around a darkening sore and waited to see if Sasuke woke up. He didn't. Good.

Naruto nibbled on the skin presented to him, wondering why this felt so good. He should be horrified at what he was doing, but found himself incapable of feeling anything but pleasure. Sasuke moved a little and Naruto pulled him back, enjoying the heat between them. Vaguely, he wondered what Sakura would feel like in his arms. Definitely not like _this_ he thought, chuckling slightly as he felt the hard muscle in Sasuke's arms ripple as he shifted again. As a consequence, Naruto was gifted with an even larger expanse of neck. Huh, he thought. The teme must like it.

_Well, since he asked so nicely._ Naruto bit down a little harder than he had intended, and he knew it was a mistake the moment he did it. The body he was holding grew rigid, like it had suddenly turned to stone. _Crap_. Sasuke had woken up.

For a moment he hoped that Sasuke didn't remember what had happened, but the angry roar that followed shattered all hope.

"_NA_RU_TO_!"

He felt a sharp pain bloom in his hand and he realized that he still hadn't let go of his friend. He tried to take his hand back but it was too late. Sasuke had gripped his fingers at a painful angle and if he moved, Naruto knew he would break a minimum of three bones. Naruto was forced to roll onto his back and Sasuke was on top of him in less than a second.

"Err..Sas-"

"SHUT –," Naruto winced, "_-UP_!"

Sasuke let go of his fingers and Naruto scrambled to get up but the red glare he received made him lay back down.. He looked up at the livid face looming above him and was surprised to notice that Sasuke looked good even when he was raving mad. His hair was sticking up at even odd angles and his lips had contorted to an angry snarl, but Naruto still felt like kissing him.

Now is NOT the time Naruto, a panicked voice said inside him. He tried to smother the slight twinge of excitement that reared its ugly head when he suddenly realized that Sasuke was – he almost groaned – _straddling_ him. Unfortunately, he couldn't hide much from his best friend. Sasuke's gaze darkened.

"You're going to hit me now, aren't you?" Naruto's voice sounded timid even to himself.

Sasuke tilted his head, a sneer lighting up his face.

"You might just be getting smarter, Dobe."

Before he could prepare himself, Naruto saw the fist rise and a blinding pain shot through his head a moment later. He was unconscious before he hit the bed.

*

Sasuke clenched his fist. He wanted to hit the dobe again but he had already passed out. Stupid usuratonkachi, he thought, infuriated that he had only been allowed one punch. After counting to ten twice and failing, Sasuke pushed himself off the still body beneath him, still furious. He was furious that he had lost a fight badly last night, furious that Naruto had gotten the better of him, furious that he had woken with Naruto behind him and most of all Furious that he had – well - _liked it._

Sasuke was a rational and practical person. He liked to think that he was strong enough to admit his feelings and needs and as a consequence didn't need to indulge in self deceit and denial like other weaklings. But _this_. His stomach clenched. He couldn't remember the last time that he had woken up to a warmth so comforting, hell, woken up with _anybody_.

All the previous people he had shared a bed with were faceless one night stands. Distractions to use and throw because he couldn't deny his bodies needs – he was young after all. He had paid no attention to the debris of trampled hearts he had left behind in his wake – simply because he didn't care enough.

He remembered vividly a girl who had begged him to stay at least a full night, mumbling some sentimental nonsense about _waking up together_. Sasuke had dismissed her with a sneer, telling her that only weak people needed to be coddled and comforted in the morning. He swallowed – and here he had been, almost leaning into the man behind him. He took a deep calming breath – he could handle this. This obviously was some weird side effect of the Kyuubi's chakra. He didn't need anyone, at least, not like that and not yet anyway. Especially the dobe.

He turned to look back at the blond, who was laying in a awkward angle on the bed. He sighed, not being able to hold on to his rage at the sight. Naruto looked ridiculous. It was becoming clear that what had happened the previous night had been the Kyuubi manifesting itself in some way. Naruto couldn't really be attracted to him… could he? Yes, he was a little clingy sometimes but Sasuke had assumed that was how he was with all his close friends. Something to do with insecure attachment during his childhood and such…but could it be something else?

He stiffened, uncomfortable with the thought. The Kyuubi could be wholly at fault of course. But this morning, Naruto's eyes had been normal. Not red, but blue..and what irritated him was that the dobe had not looked a slightest bit guilty. He had had the fucking guts to leer at him when he was about to beat him to pulp.

Feeling his anger simmer again at the thought, Sasuke decided that he was not going to forgive the dobe for a _long_ time. Kyuubi or not, he didn't think there was any excuse in the world that could get him out of this one.

He picked up his strewn clothes from the floor, careful not to step on any mirror fragments. He was sore enough in any case. He paused. Wait a minute…he was _sore_. The word made him pale. Had Naruto - ? No, he told himself. The dobe wouldn't do that to him, even if he _was_ under the Kyuubi's influence. In any case what was sore was his neck, not his ass. Naruto must have hit him there when he wasn't looking. Fuming again, Sasuke quickly put on his clothes.

He strode to the window, his eyes flicking to the hideous orange curtains that fluttered around him. He dimly remembered Naruto saying how he had searched everywhere for this particular awesome _shade_. He felt a surge of irrational vindictiveness and a second later he poofed out of the room, leaving a pair of ripped curtains behind.

**_One hour later._**

"Is there a reason why you're here, brat?"

Naruto smiled at her, feeling more relaxed than he had in ages. He knew he shouldn't be coming to the Hokage's office so often, but he liked the feel the wide circular room. Anyhow, he should get used to being in this office – he planned it to be his soon.

"I had a chat with Sasuke."

The Hokgae's eyebrow rose, "A chat, is it?" It was hard not to be skeptical. The magnificent black eye Naruto sported was difficult to miss.

"Uh huh. It was quite useful."

"Really."

"I think Sasuke may now know of my intentions." He had an uncharacteristic sly smile on his face and the Hokage frowned.

"What did you tell him?"

Naruto faltered, "Err, well he may not know as in actually _know_ bu-"

"Brat, what did you tell him?" She tapped her pen on the table, signalling her impatience.

"Tell him?" He gave her a nervous smile.

"Stop repeating what I'm saying." She snapped, " It won't buy you extra time!"

Naruto scowled, sitting up in his chair, "Fine. I didn't say anything-"

"If you didn't tell him anything, how do you expect to solve this ?" She said, just about stopping herself from shouting.

Naruto looked uncomfortable, " I may not have _said_ much, but I did do some stuff..." he trailed off, picking on the hem of his shirt.

"Do?" She was suddenly curious.

"Yeah well.." he rubbed the back of his head, not looking her in the eye." We had a fight, he lost and blacked out… so I sort of... you know..." He gestured with his hands.

Tsunade's eyes widened, now paying rapt attention, "What did you do?"

"Nothing serious," he explained. "Just gave him a few hickeys to remember me by...that's all. He didn't even notice them in the morning." He giggled at the memory.

"He will soon, though," Tsunade said, hoping that Naruto had taken that into consideration. Funnily enough, she still couldn't bring herself to admonish her favourite for his impulsive behaviour.

Naruto peered at her through half closed eyes, "Yeah, I guess he will."

"You really have guts gaki," she said , trying not to laugh. "Either you are extremely stupid or extremely brave."

Naruto grinned at her, not taking insult at her comment, "I prefer the latter."

"So why exactly did you come here then?" she asked, going back to tapping her pen on the desk.

"I have to ask you for a favour," he said, leaning forward.

"Another one?"

Naruto glared at her and she just smiled sweetly at him. "If the teme comes here, you can't tell him about ... me."

"You will have to elaborate."

"He might come here asking questions about the Kyuubi and stuff."

"And?"

"You can't tell him."

Tsunade frowned, "At all?"

"No. I want him to _choose_ to come to me. Willingly. " Naruto stared at her, his eyes taking on a determination she was all to familiar with. She knew that arguing with him when he had that look on his face was futile, but she tried anyway.

"Are you sure? Won't it be easier-"

"Yes. I'm sure."

The Hokage sighed inwardly. Naruto could be so stubborn sometimes. How exactly did he plan to convince the Uchiha to fall in love with him? Because knowing Naruto, that was what he wanted. The idea was laughable. The Uchiha, as far as she was concerned, had loved three people in his life time– his mother, father, and brother, and all three of them were dead.

She admitted that the closest he had come to 'love' since then was Naruto, but Sasuke would rather die than admit sentiment like that. The Uchiha had become so comfortable within his walls, that he had forgotten that they existed.

"Naruto," she began. "You know you don't have much time. You should just come clean-"

"_No_. I've made up my mind."

_Stupid, stubborn -_ "Brat, be practical here."

"Look Ba-chan, I know you're worried," he smiled at her, blue eyes crinkling. "But I can do this. I'm the only one that can… you understand, don't you?"

It was Tsunade's turn to scowl, "If you think the Uchiha is just going to lay down and let you fuck him, you are stupider than I thought!"

Naruto grimaced,"Don't put it like that Ba- chan."

Stupid, _sentimental,_ stubborn brat.

He spoke before she could, "I know Sasuke, okay? I know what you think of him and you're mostly right. But-" he paused, looking upwards as if searching for the right words. "But I know, don't ask me how, that it's impossible for this to be one sided."

Tsunade stared at him, wondering whether the heat had scrambled the blond's brains.

"I suppose the Kyuubi told you so?" Her voice dripped sarcasm.

Naruto blinked her, suddenly grinning, "You're right. I guess he did."

She rolled her eyes, contemplating physically knocking some sense into the man in front of her when the intercom on her desk buzzed,

"Hokage sama, Uchiha Sasuke here to see you."

She blinked. Woah, the Uchiha worked quickly. She glanced at Naruto who looked apprehensive and ready to run out through the window.

"Let him in," she said. She watched as Naruto jumped out of his seat looking around frantically,

"Where do I hide? He'll recognize my chakra! I don't know what to say-"

"Sit down, brat." She ordered, grinning in a way Naruto did not like. " _I have a plan_."

_chapter end. chapter end. chapter end._

A/N : Tsunade is queen!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thank you for the reviews that came for the last chapter. It rekindled my waning faith in this site.. *huggles everyone who reviewd* you guys rock!

**Chapter 7 : The Plan**

To say Sasuke Uchiha was angry would be a gross understatement. He was _enraged_. Anger and humiliation burned his insides as he stared at his reflection in the mirror - again. Like if he stared long enough, the atrocity on his skin would disappear. It didn't . The multiple bruises that marked his neck seemed to pulse and expand until it was the only thing he could see.

His fist clenched and the in the next second the mirror shattered, bearing the brunt of his fury. God damn that no good dead- last! What made him think that he could do something like this and get away with it? And to _think_ that Sasuke had even let him off lightly this morning. Great, now his knuckles hurt too!

He stormed out of the bathroom, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his waist. He had just wanted to have a nice long bath and what did he get to see when he stepped out of the shower? The fucking usuratonkachi's teeth marks all over his neck. His stomach churned as he thought of the red eyes that had stared at him last night. Why did get the feeling that it hadn't just been the Kyuubi last night? A little uneasy, he contemplated using a henge on his neck, but realised that too many shinobi could see through it. A faked injury was a better option. It was less suspicious. After all, shinobi got hurt all the time.

Still seething, he jerked open a drawer, emptying the contents of his medicine box onto his bed. He snatched a role of bandage and then walked back into the bathroom, only to remember the mirror was now only a mess of broken fragments. He cursed. How the fuck was he going to cover those hideous marks on his neck without a god damn mirror? He paused for a moment before bending and grabbing a piece of the broken mirror. This would have to do.

Sitting down on the bed, he wrapped the bandage carefully around his neck, knowing he looked a little ridiculous. But it couldn't be helped. He would rather die than go out in public with dobe's hickeys on display. For a small moment, he considered just staying indoors until they faded but he dismissed the thought. He was not going to be intimidated by that loud, obnoxious Kyuubi vessel.

He tugged on the bandages, which were already starting itch, to cover a little bit of a hickey that was peeking out. God, hadn't he spared any part of his skin? It was like the annoying red marks were trying to compete with the faded tomoe seal next to them. The thought made him even more irritated.

He maneuvered the small mirror so he could examine the rest of his body, ignoring the other bruises forming because of the fight they had had. There weren't any other teeth marks thank kami - _But there could have been,_ a small voice taunted inside his head. He scowled. The thought of what the dobe could have actually done last night made him tense. He didn't know whether he should be relieved that nothing worse had happened, or angry that the dobe had been in a position to have _mercy_ on him.

Something about that conclusion was definitely wrong. Whether it was who sought the other one out, what time to meet, or even where to eat – it was always him who had the final word, even if they did end up at the ramen stall more often that he liked. _Sasuke _was the one always in control when it came to the both of them… but last night had been all upside down.

Different.

He had been - he stilled – _helpless_. The word made him wince. He had always hated the baggage of painful memories it brought. A flash of tomoed red eyes and a mocking smile taunted him – NO - he told himself, he refused to bring his brother into this. Not now. Not ever. Unfortunately, Sasuke was still bitterly aware of the fact that even though Itachi was dead, he would never really be _gone_. He was over reacting and being too sentimental about this, he knew that. But he was still upset.

And he was angry that he was upset at all.

The conflicting emotions twirled themselves together until Sasuke didn't know which was which and he was left feeling uncomfortable and disgruntled. All he knew that this was all somehow the dobe's fault.

The tiny mirror caught an angry looking bruise on his chest and glad of the distraction, he wondered whether he should go to Sakura for a check up.

For now though, he wanted to see the Hokage. If there was one person who knew what was going on with Naruto, it was her. He gingerly explored the skin on his neck and realised that the huge mark on the nape was going to be impossible to cover by bandage and his limited experience. A henge was going to have to do. He would just ignore the unwanted questions and stay away from the Hyuuga's and Kakashi.

He remembered dismally that even Sakura could see through genjutsu and felt his anger returning in full force. This was not going to be a good day.

*

Sasuke was surprised when he was let into the Hokage's office almost immediately. He had been prepared to wait. He knew that the old woman sometimes thought it was amusing to let him wait, sometimes for more than an hour, for his mission details. He didn't think that was necessary since he already was aware she didn't like him. He also knew that the only reason his detention time had been reduced was because of the dobe and his irritating influence on the current Hokage. That fact had never bothered him – until now.

He scowled to himself, earning a nervous glance from the Hokage's assistant. He followed the girl into the corridor and she stopped, nodding towards the door. He didn't bother thanking her as he strode in, determined to understand why the dobe had gone crazy on him last night.

It was only due to years of trained Uchiha poise that Sasuke froze only for a second when he saw who else was there. The dead-last gave him a sheepish smile. His bandages itched. It was like Naruto was everywhere!

"Uchiha!" the Hokage acknowledged, "I'm glad you came. I was just about to summon you. Sit down."

Sasuke sat down, studiously ignoring the man sitting just a few feet away from him. He could feel the dobe's eyes on him and his fist clenched.

_Oh, how he wanted to beat that face in._

He looked inquiringly at the Hokage, making sure he looked as calm as he always did. It was an effort, really. Especially when the Hokage eyes instantly twitched to his neck. She didn't even try to hide her smile. Bitch. Naruto had told her. _Son of bitch_. It was strange, it had been a long time since he had name called Naruto anything other than different variations of moron and dead last. Even in his head. He wondered whether it meant he saw Naruto differently now. Grimacing, he waited for the Hokage to speak first, even though he had been the one to ask for the meeting. The Hokage ignored his rudeness in favour of flinging a file in his face. He caught it on reflex, blinking.

_What the –_

"Read it. its your next mission," she stated.

He glanced down at the purple file, knowing it was the colour of Anbu mission details. His heart beat faster. Could it be after so long of B ranked torture, they were finally going to let him do some real work? He frowned. _Why the sudden change of heart?_ He looked up to see the Hokage staring at him, with an expectant look in her eyes.

"You're letting me go on an Anbu ranked mission." He was careful to sound neutral. Beside him, he could tell Naruto was as shocked as he was.

"Ba-chan, what are-"

"Shut up,brat." She raised her palm at the blond, her eyes not leaving Sasuke's.

"Well? Do you accept?"

"Who's on my team?" he asked, trying to read the Hokage's poker face. Why did she have to be sober at a time like this?

"That was not my question," she said coolly.

There was an expectant pause but Sauske didn't bothering filling it. Instead, he flipped open the file, going through the details with a practiced eye. His heart beat even faster. She was sending him on a mission to hunt rogue _Akatsuki._ The word repeated itself in his head like a broken gramophone.

There _had_ to be a catch.

But did that even matter? For the first time in three whole years he was getting a chance to go outside a three mile radius of the village. He would finally be able to try and use his new jutsus' on something other than trees and the dead-last. The temptation was just too much to resist.

"How long is the mission expected to be?" He asked.

The Hokage knew the Uchiha well enough to know that his question was acceptance.

"A month. Though don't expect any change in rank."

Well, if that was the only catch, then Sasuke could live with it. But why did he doubt it was?

"And my team mates?" He tried again with narrowed eyes, feeling more than a little suspicious. A silent communication passed between the dobe and the old woman and suspicion soon turned to apprehension. She turned to him, looking almost comically serious.

"Well, a quarter of your team is sitting right next to you."

_chapter end. chapter end. chapter end. _

A/N : Reviews are read thrice, obsessed upon and did I mention make a poor unpopular author like me very happy?


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 : Frustration :

Naruto wanted to jump up and whoop out in joy or hug even the old woman sitting in front of him. He controlled himself, however, opting to turn to look at the Uchiha who currently looked like he had just been informed that he had to undergo a painful root canal. He would have felt hurt at the obvious fury and distaste on his best friends face, had it not been for the sudden rush of anticipation of what could happen on this mission that flooded him. This was perfect – a whole month _alone_ with Sasuke. This was his only chance.

"I must protest," tumbled the words from the Uchiha's mouth. His anger made his voice harsh and Naruto wondered whether it was possible to coax anything but stark and sharp tones from those lips. Hmm… _that would be interesting to find out. H_e smiled to himself, a little surprised at how much he was liking the thought of making the Uchiha uncomfortable.

"About what?'' the Hokage's face had turned to stone.

Sasuke wanted to do something violent. He knew he was being pushed into this mission for reasons that were suspicious and it made him furious that he was currently clueless as to why. All he knew that it had something to do with Naruto, going by stupid smile on his face and it also involved himself. He remembered the red glowing eyes from last night and tensed. He would be damned if he was going to let this happen with no information about this at all.

"About – about my team members."

"You don't even know who the rest are teme," Naruto interrupted.

"Shut up, dobe," he snapped at the smug blond.

"Look, Uchiha," The Hokage said, sounding impatient. "You agreed to go on this mission, did you not?'

Sasuke glared, "Yes."

"So are you saying you now want to go back on your word?"

_Say yes! Say yes_! His instinct screamed at him. "No," he said stubbornly.

The Hokage smiled, reaching for some papers and signing them. "Then I don't see any problem," she concluded.

"I wish to speak to you alone, Hokage sama." May be he could get some information without Naruto hovering around.

"I'm afraid I am very busy, may be later." She went back to her papers, ignoring the two men in front of her.

Sasuke felt like strangling the woman in front of him. Not only was he being obviously pushed into something he wasn't going to like, but now he was being ignored too. Just what was this mission supposed to be anyway? He felt himself become a little apprehensive as he got up and left the Hokage's office, Naruto following close behind.

Fine , he thought, if the Hokage wasn't going to give him answers, then he would just have to get them from Naruto. First hand.

"Dobe. Wait," Sasuke snapped from behind. Naruto grinned. He could hear the frustration in the Uchiha's voice and he couldn't blame him. If he had been in the other's place he would have been raving mad, shouting to one and all that his best friend had gone loony on him and the Hokage was part of a conspiracy to kill him. He laughed out aloud at the thought. Well, may be not. He wasn't that much of a drama queen…

Speaking of which, he turned around, catching the Uchiha by surprise. As a consequence the pale man stopped abruptly, two inches closer than what would have been called appropriate. Naruto's grin widened as he took in the angry Uchiha's face. At this distance the blonde could make out that Sasuke hadn't shaved in approximately 2 days.

"What?" Naruto said, breathing in the familiar scent of his best friend and sighing just a little.

Sasuke, being so close caught the sigh and stared at him like he had just grown an extra eye.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he said, stiffening, finally realizing how close they were.

He must be remembering the hickey's Naruto thought, as the raven scratched the bandage on his neck.

"Not much," he replied, making no move to increase the distance between them. He was quite all right where he was, thank you.

And just because he was proud and stubborn, Sasuke didn't move back either.

"Stop being a dobe and tell me the truth," he said, or rather, commanded, using their proximity to stare down at him. Naruto scowled, using the height advantage was such a cheap shot.

"Look, its none of your business," he snapped back, apprehensive. Maybe waiting had been a bad idea. He didn't want to confront Sasuke before he had figured everything out for himself.

"I'm afraid it is my business or have you forgotten what happened last night?"

"What? That I beat the crap out of you?"

Naruto saw a flash of swirling tomoe's before he was painfully slammed into the wall behind him, toes barely touching the pavement beneath him.

"Tell- me-," Sasuke snarled, tightening the pressure on his friends neck. "the –_ truth"_

Naruto, gripped the hand on his neck tightly, wishing that Sasuke had better control of his temper. This way he couldn't tell Sasuke anything even if he wanted to.

The Uchiha must have realised this because the hold on his neck slackened, allowing him to gasp in a breath.

"Well?" Sasuke prompted, eyes narrowed. He didn't like the fact that Naruto wasn't even struggling. It meant that he felt guilty…Which meant that he had and was still going to do something that Sasuke wasn't going to like. His anxiety flared. And now the dobe wasn't even meeting his eyes. _Just how bad was this?_

Naruto watched his friend's face switch from a mix of fury and frustration to that of mild concern, before it ironed out into it's most comfortable expression of indifference. The death grip on his throat relaxed and Naruto's feet found the ground again. If he didn't know Sasuke as well as he did, he was sure he would be convinced that he had just imagined him almost strangle him to death.

He massaged his neck, watching the Uchiha, who in turn was watching him. Neither of them moved or spoke and Naruto found himself getting nervous. Just what was he supposed to tell him? That I'm sorry Sasuke teme but you're not going to be able to rebuild your clan with a nice homely girl but you're going to have to be with me, and _only_ me, for the rest of your life and I hope you don't get too mad? The words sounded stupid even in his head.

Naruto suddenly felt very much like a usuratonkachi. What the hell had he been thinking? How could he have been so sure that Sasuke had feelings for him? _Him and Sasuke?_ It was absurd. Sure, the sex might not be too bad.. but for the rest of his _life_ ? A day ago he was even pretty sure he didn't like men... and now... he glanced at Sasuke who had taken a moment to glare at the people on the road who had stopped to stare at them.

Naruto smiled a little. This was Sasuke he was talking about, after all. His best friend, his rival, his team mate.. and his…partner? He sighed as he felt a tightening in his chest. A part of him seemed so sure about the answer - but he couldn't help but doubt it –

"Naruto." Sasuke interrupted his thoughts.

"Yeah?" he said, scratching the back on of his head. Sasuke was looking at him weirdly.

"Do you want some ramen?"

_Chapter end. Chapter end. Chapter end._

A/N : short and sweet? *grin*


	9. Chapter 9

A/N : Editing is still a bitch. but my dissertation is a whore.

Recap :

_"Naruto." Sasuke interrupted his thoughts._

_"Yeah?" he said, scratching the back on of his head. Sasuke was looking at him weirdly._

_"Do you want some ramen?"_

**Chapter 9 : Telling the Truth**

"What?"

"You heard me."

Naruto stared at Sasuke, wondering whether this was some kind trick. Was he planning to poison him with truth serum?

"Fine," the Uchiha snapped. "Keep gaping like an idiot. I'm leaving."

"No!" he said, "I – well, let's go."

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he walked past him and Naruto followed, falling naturally in step with him.

He risked a glance at the raven, who was walking with his hands stuffed in his pockets, looking irritated. Naruto wondered what this would look like from the Uchiha's point of view and winced. No one expects their best friend to assault them in the middle of the night and then wake up with said best friend spooning them. He sighed, running through what he could tell Sasuke without making him more suspicious and more -well - angry. Because anger as an emotion came to Sasuke only when he felt threatened and - Naruto frowned - _afraid._

They reached Ichiraku's without having spoken a word to each other and Sasuke ordered for the both of them, sounding abnormally normal, making Naruto's nervousness increase ten fold.

As steaming bowls of ramen appeared in front of them Naruto glanced at Sasuke again, desperate that his friends expression would give him at least a hint to he was thinking, but all the Uchiha was doing was unglueing his chopsticks to eat, his features devoid of any of those almost creases that Naruto was now an expert at reading. _Shit.  
_  
Naruto looked to his own bowl of noodles, for once not finding the enthusiasm to inhale his food. Figured that the one day he didn't feel like eating, Sasuke was treating him.

More silence followed as Sasuke calmly finished his ramen and Naruto felt his nerves grate with every clink of chopsticks on china. Even Ichiraku had left them alone, sensing the tension between the two. And just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore , Sasuke spoke.

"So," he began and Naruto found that it was difficult to look his friend in his eye. His gaze landed on the hastily bandaged neck and he sighed.

"I'm sorry Sasuke. I really am."

"You should be," he said, "Am I to assume it was the Kyuubi?"

Naruto eyes snapped up to his face. He knew he shouldn't be surprised, after all, he had been almost breathing red chakra that time but the Kyuubi was still a subject that he wasn't used to discussing with anyone other than Jiraiya or Tsunade. He felt more than a little uncomfortable, loathing the insecurity that made its appearance.

"Well?"

"I – err-," Naruto was at a loss. If he told him that it was just the Kyuubi then that would mean denying that he did have _feelings,_ the word deserved an eye roll even in Naruto's head, for Sasuke. After all, he didn't have much time left and telling him now would mean more time for Sasuke to get used the thought. But if he did tell Sasuke, the Uchiha would immediately close up and be on his guard around him. Naruto had seen it often enough with the ravens admirers, much to his previous amusement. Now, however, it just put him in a difficult situation. How exactly was he supposed to convince Sasuke that their friendship was just a stepping stone for something more if he shut him out?

He suddenly felt a sharp pain on his forehead and he looked up in surprise when he realised that Sasuke had just poked him with his chop sticks.

"Ow bastard! What the hell was that for?"

"I don't I've ever seen you think so hard in my life," he said, smirking.

He grinned, realising that the tension had instantly reduced with Sasuke's jibe. Who knew that the anti social Uchiha could actually make a situation like this easier to endure? He ran a hand through his hair, still nervous.

"The truth is-"

"It was the Kyuubi," Sasuke said, looking completely sure of his deduction.

Naruto blinked. The other man seemed to have made up his mind that the Kyuubi had been responsible for what had happened and Naruto didn't know how to contradict him. He didn't think he even had it in him. Not when it was clear that Sasuke was close to actually _forgiving_ him.

"Well… yeah, kinda." Naruto winced inwardly. God, that had been such a lie. _How many more was he going to have to make?  
_  
"So what does it make you do exactly?" Sasuke asked, frowning.

"I – um," Naruto knew he wasn't going to get out of this without giving his friend some kind of information, so he sighed, giving up. "Look its not a big deal. It happens every two months and lasts for around three days." If Sasuke wanted to think he was a freak, let him.

"And during those two days you feel like attacking random people?"

Naruto glared at the Uchiha, who was looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"No! I don't attack anyone," he said, calming down when he saw that Sasuke was trying to provoke him into telling him the truth. "I – I just need to have sex for those two days until it's out of my system."

Sasuke blinked and for a moment there was silence, before a deep rumbling laughter started to bubble out of his friend. Naruto scowled, realising that the first time he was seeing Sasuke laugh in a long time, he was laughing at him. He hadn't meant to tell Sasuke about his problem so bluntly but it had come out none the less. Great Uzumaki. Just give him one more reason to not take you seriously.

"It's not funny." Naruto was getting upset.

Sasuke coughed, getting himself under control. "All right," he conceded. "When did this start?"

The blonde looked away, "Twoyearsago," he mumbled.

"Two years?" Sasuke was shocked. Naruto didn't know whether it was because he had hidden it from him for so long or because Sasuke hadn't noticed that something was wrong. Either way, he didn't bring it up.

"I'm usually in Konoha, or another village which has enough…resources."

Sasuke lips twitched like he was going to laugh again but he didn't and Naruto was grateful.

"I was with you this time of the month, two months ago dobe. You seemed normal enough to me." So Sasuke was more disturbed that he hadn't noticed. Huh, Naruto thought.

"I am _norma_l during that time, as long as I get enough time at night to ...you know..." he trailed off, thinking back to last time.

They had been in Sand and were on one of the rare missions they had been assigned to together. Once Naruto thought about it, even though the mission had been b ranked and pretty easy, at the end of it he had been extremely worn out. The main reason being the heat had lasted 4 whole days. He wondered whether it had been because of Sasuke.

_Had the close proximity made the heat worse?_ He tried to think of other times he had been in close contact with Sasuke during his heat and frowned. Sure enough, whenever he remembered him around, the heat usually lasted longer. Even when he paired up with Sakura it had been a little worse. The Kyuubi had been trying to tell him something and he had ignored it. it had gotten worse and worse until last month – when he had stretched it longer than necessary. That must have been the tipping point, he realised, after which he had been forced to see the truth.

"So if you can keep it in control most of the time, what happened yesterday?" Sasuke sounded neutral, like this wasn't what he really wanted to know. They both knew better.

Naruto froze._ What exactly was he supposed to tell him?_

"Well...err...," he scratched the back of his head. ' I went for that mission to Sound, where I couldn't go into the whore houses because I might have been recognized. So I had to wait until I reached Konoha and it turned out to be a little too late which is why it's lasted for so long..." he trailed off again.

"The Sound mission was a month ago," Sasuke said, like he could hardly believe what was being said to him.

Naruto coloured and looked away, "Well...yeah."

"That's why you holed yourself up in your apartment," Sasuke said, as if he confirming something.

He nodded, still not being able to look his friend in the eye.

"So," Sasuke summed up, sounding relieved. "Last night was just me being at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Naruto's chest tightened, trying not feel hurt. He knew what Sasuke was implying – _even if it had been someone else instead of me, it would have turned out the same._ Wrong.

The only reason last night happened was because it had been Sasuke in his room. If it had been anyone else Naruto would have probably just told them to leave. But how would the Uchiha react if he told him that?

"Geez dobe. You really had me worried."

In other circumstances a sentence like that from the raven would be taunt worthy for at least a month, but this time Naruto just smiled sadly. It was upsetting that Sasuke was so relieved to find out that last night wasn't personal that he had even forgotten that Uchiha's never said things like that aloud.

Naruto was even more amazed to find that Sasuke was continuing to speak. He had never heard his friend speak so much in a very long time. The irony of the situation, however, wasn't lost on him. How the hell was he going to take it from here?

"Does Sakura know?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto shook his head, wondering why that would be relevant. But she will soon, he realised, sighing. He hadn't forgotten what had happened with her either. He would have to go and apologise soon, he thought, not looking forward to explaining himself.

_Would she look at him differently? Or would she-_

"Oh for Gods sake!" Sasuke snapped. "Will you stop pitying yourself usuratonkachi." Sasuke poked him on the forehead again, hard. Naruto was beginning to resent those chopsticks.

"It isn't your fault," Sasuke stated. "You weren't in control of yourself. So stop moping like a god dammed girl.'

Naruto chuckled at how Sasuke, in his own rude way, was trying to make him feel better. But he couldn't help but feel that this was going in the wrong direction. A large part of him was howling at him to tell the truth. To not let his raven brush this whole thing under the carpet as something neither of them had responsibility over. He knew Sasuke well enough to know the reason he was so eager to accept the Kyuubi as the driving force behind this. It was simple, really. If it was Kyuubi, then it wasn't Naruto. If it was the Kyuubi, then he didn't have to deal with the consequences of Naruto actually having feelings for him. Neither of them had to.

"Right?" Dark eyes narrowed at the blond's continued gloomy silence.

"_Right_?" Sasuke tried again, a warning in his voice.

Naruto sighed. It was so tempting to say yes, laugh, receive a glare and a punch maybe and then forget that it ever happened. It was clear that it was what Sasuke wanted,expected.

_But did Naruto want Sasuke to get away from this so easily?  
_  
"Sasuke...," he said softly. Sure, the Uchiha was giving him a way out of this mess, so things could go back to normal. The fact was that he didn't _want_ things to go back to normal. They couldn't. Not anymore.

"You're right, to an extent it was the Kyuubi, but-" _Shit_, this was harder than he thought it would be.

"But?" Sasuke was getting angry again.

"But – to a large extent it was me." There, he said it. He released a breath he didn't know he had been holding.

Sasuke just stared him. In shock. Like Naruto had just said that his favorite food was now onigiri and tomatoes.

The blond kept talking, not knowing what else to do.

"Because I delayed it for so long this time, it reached a different level. The past few weeks, no matter how much time I spent at the whore houses, it wasn't enough,' Naruto paused, not liking how close this was coming to the real problem – _the fact that only Sasuke could stop it from getting worse._ No way was he dumping that on his friend right now. He took a deep breath, continuing.

"I'd found out some time ago that sleeping with people I'm physically attracted to cools the heat off quicker-" Naruto paused again, searching for the right words, "-And the Kyuubi senses what people I'm attracted to and points me in that direction.'

Naruto gave his friend a small grin, "If it's any consolation, I didn't know you were in that category till three days ago."

"So its just an attraction then? A physical thing."

Naruto didn't think it was meant to sound hopeful. He grimaced.

Sasuke was clutching at straws to try and deny that his best friend had just confessed that he liked him. Naruto was saddened by it, both for Sasuke and for himself. He had always known that pulling, or dragging most likely, Sasuke from behind his walls was never going to be easy.

"For you? No. It's not just a physical thing," he said trying not to be frustrated at his friend's silence.

"C'mon Sasuke teme," Naruto tried again. "With us, you know it can never be that simple." He tried to be as gentle and clear as he could, watching as Sasuke face began its gradual descent from calm and composed to panic stricken and dismay. It would have been funny, hilarious even, if Naruto had been watching this exchange as an outsider. Now, however, it was just horribly tragic.

Sasuke finally unstuck his throat,

"So you mean, last night and in the morning...it wasn't the Kyuubi- it was _you_?"

Naruto hadn't known that his best friend could be so slow. So he gathered up his last remaining remnants of courage that lay tattered around him and looked his Uchiha straight in the eye.

"Mostly, yeah."

There was a heavy pause, where Naruto was pretty sure he would be either punched or run away from, but neither happened. In fact Sasuke did something that Naruto would never expect him to do in his life. Sasuke… _flushed_.

They sat there for a few moments, both mortified and stunned at the same time, before the raven finally dropped the chop sticks he was clutching. He pushed away from the counter, still looking shell shocked and whether it was because he had realised that his face was red or because his best friend had just said that he liked him, Naruto didn't know. All he knew was that he barely heard a muttered '_I should go'_ and a second later his companion had poofed away.

Naruto stared at his bowl of ramen, now cold, and wondered whether he had just imagined the whole thing. He chewed his lip, thinking back and then a small grin inched its way onto his face. Nope, he had definitely _not_ imagined it.

Sasuke had blushed. Ok maybe not blushed like a girl, but still, his face had become a rather charming shade of pink and it had happened only when he had found out that it wasn't the Kyuubi who was responsible for his hickey's, but _Naruto_.

He let himself laugh in relief, feeling strangely triumphant. He now was a hundred percent sure, even if Sasuke wasn't, that the Kyuubi had not made a mistake when he had directed him towards the Uchiha.

There was something other than deep friendship between the two of them and it was now finally in the open.

_Chapter end. Chapter end. Chapter end. _

A/N : a turning point in the story! Yay! Reviews are like air to a drowning author, so please review!


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: This fic (unfortunately?) is going turn M here onwards ( none in this chapter, but..) *big grin* SMEX BABY, YAYYYYY!!! Nothing too graphic, I'm not capable of that, but still it deserves a higher rating than T. So erm, enjooooy. I apologise in advance for dissapointing? Any of the younger crowd… though no one said you cant read it..*looks away whistling* ( will I go to jail for that?) *_*

CHAPTER 10

3 Days Later :

Sasuke lay on his bed, hands folded beneath his head, and stared at the ceiling. He didn't know what else to do. It had been three days since that crazy day, Sasuke didn't know what else to call it, when Naruto had made sure to ruin his life and utter the words he least expected from his ramen loving best friend. If it had been Sakura he wouldn't have been very surprised, even if she was engaged, but never in his life had he expected _This._

He scowled, cursing Naruto. The dobe had really done it this time. What the hell was he thinking telling Sasuke that he liked him? that was crazy. Naruto couldn't like him. He was just his friend, someone that he spent his free time with, someone to spar with, to drink with, to talk to when he felt like….ok, Sasuke grudgingly admitted to himself.. so maybe he was more than a 'friend'.

But that was exactly it. He wasn't like all the others…Sasuke groaned. Great, now he had to add one more person to his 'avoid at all cost' list. And this time it wasn't some nameless simpering girl, but _Naruto_. Someone he actually liked to be with. Or more like the _only_ person he liked to be with, apart from Sakura, and that too because she didn't give him a choice.

Sure avoiding Naruto for three days was easy enough, but how long could he keep up with this? He wasn't an idiot, unlike the dobe. He understood that by coming back to the village he had accepted the fact that it was unavoidable not to get more attached to the dobe, but he hadn't realized how attached he had become until a few days ago.

Even when the dobe had done that disappearing act for a month he hadn't been able to stop himself from checking up on him.. and now.. even contemplating avoiding him for a long time wasn't easy to stomach. He cursed again. _Just how weak had he become?_

And the mission they had been appointed.. He had been irresponsible enough not to check up on who the other squad members were. Shit. He had to go. For one, he had no choice. The other, well, he wanted to go. For how long had he been longing to test his skills on something other than vegetation and, he tensed..the dobe. Ugh. He just couldn't seem to avoid the blonde idiot. Even in his head, almost every thought lead back to him. Sasuke pushed himself up from the bed, swinging his legs to the floor. He was feeling restless and a more than a little guilty.

Naruto had called on him continuously the past few days and even stood outside his window and apologized loud enough for the whole complex to hear, but then he had added that he wasn't going to take his words back and Sasuke had ignored him there after. Ignored him because he didn't know what to say.

He didn't have the answer the blonde wanted. He didn't know whether he ever would have. He wanted so desperately for things to go back to normal, but it was obvious that Naruto wasn't going to let that happen. He felt a surge of anger at the thought. What was wrong with dobe? Why did he want to ruin what they had? The idea of them together was ludicrous. It wasn't worth risking their friendship, but Naruto had gone and done it anyway.

He was just about to get up and pack for his mission when he heard a tentative knock on the door. He decided to ignore it. He just wasn't in a talking mood, but then he heard a soft feminine voice filter through the door.

"Sasuke? Are you in there? Open up!"

It was Sakura. The Uchiha sighed. He knew that if he didn't answer, she would probably keep knocking untill he did. So he padded towards the main door, swinging it open to reveal a somber looking Sakura.

Her pink hair was a little longer than what it had been when they were teenagers, but it still stopped at her shoulders. However, what was most noticeable was the fiery glare in her eyes, which Sasuke was not at all used to being directed at him. Then he remembered that he had forgotten to bandage his neck, and it took all his self control not to cover it up with his hands when Sakura's shocked eyes fell on the marks. Annoyed, he folded his hands and leaned on the door frame, purposely taking up the entire space so she couldn't push her way inside like he usually allowed her to do.

"What is it?" he said, not in the mood for the woman's tantrums.

"What did you do to Naruto?" she accused, her glare returning, but Sasuke could tell she was still gawking at his neck.

"Excuse me?" Sasuke said, not liking the fact that Naruto had gotten somebody else involved.

"I said," Sakura took a step closer so she had to raise the angle of her head to look at him, "What- did – you – do – to - Naruto?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, not at used to dealing with this kind of a Sakura. If the dobe was here he would have known what to do. He swore inwardly. Had he just thought of the blonde _again?_

"None of your business" he snapped, his reply harsher than intended.

Sakura pursed her lips, not at all intimidated. After 12 years, it took more than a riled up Uchiha to get to her.

"Yes it is," she insisted. "You must have done something. I haven't seen him so down since - " she stopped, looking down at her feet for a moment. Sasuke was curious despite himself,

"Since what?" he prompted.

"Since - since you left," she finally said, green eyes snapping back to his own.

The guilt that had been niggling Sasuke in the gut for the past few days momentarily sprouted claws and he almost winced.

He now regretted encouraging this conversation. Sakura's eyes no longer furious, but worried and imploring. It was a look that he usually was immune too, but he was again reminded as to how weak had become when he found himself sighing and unfolding himself from the door frame to let her through.

Once she had settled on to the couch Sakura was silent Sasuke raised an eyebrow. If she thought that he was going to speak first then she didn't know him well enough.

"Sasuke," she began and then paused, looking nervously at his neck. " I know that it probably isn't any of my business, but whatever that happened between the two of you is affecting him pretty badly."

Sasuke glared. Why did was she making it sound like he had Naruto were a godammed couple? But before he could contradict her she continued,

"And don't deny that nothing happened." She warned, "Naruto told me-"

"Just what exactly did he tell you?" he said, trying to control his temper.

Sakura frowned , "Nothing much. Just that you to had a fight and it was all his fault."

Sasuke blinked, "Hn."So the dobe did understand the foolishness of his actions. Maybe there was hope after all.

"But," Sakura said, her eyes hardening, "I know he's not telling me the truth."

Sasuke stilled and Sakura steeled herself against the darkening gaze.

" And even if it was his fault I don't think he did anything that deserves you shutting him out like this." Sasuke felt like shouting, _haven't you seen my neck, you stupid woman?!_

"If I don't want to talk to the dobe I bloody well wont," Sasuke bit out, hating how childish he sounded.

The pink haired girl looked exasperated by the man in front of her, " Usually if the both of you are in town you always hang out together. And you haven't left your house for three days or checked up on mission details. Whatever happened just please fix it. I hate seeing Naruto like this."

Sasuke shifted, uncomfortable and annoyed that of all people he had Sakura patronizing him.

"It's none of your business," he said, tiered of her presence already. He just wanted to be left alone.

"Sasuke-" she tried.

He held up his hand for her to stop, "Enough."

Sakura looked for a moment like she was going to argue but she relented,

"Fine," she said, not bothering to hide her irritation. "Hogake sama said that your reporting time is 14 00 hours today."He nodded and then stood up to start packing, not bothering to wait until she left.

************************

Naruto sighed. Maybe for the 10th time, he didn't know. Usually he wasn't the brooding type, or even the sighing type. But the past few weeks, he thought, completely justified his current state of gloominess.

After his little confession and the momentary relief it had come with, the consequences of what he had done came back to hit him right in the face. He had assumed, of course, that he was capable of dealing with whatever the Uchiha had in store, but what he hadn't counted on was how seriously the teme was taking the term 'cutting someone out'.. He would have thought that Sasuke would find it at least a _little_ difficult to stop talking to him, but apparently he was wrong. He had under estimated how much of a stubborn, and cold bastard the Uchiha was.

Naruto glanced back down at his bowl of ramen, which he had ordered more than 15 minutes ago. It didn't look so appetizing anymore and he glared it, angry that even his favorite food was failing him. He sighed again. The last time he had felt so hopeless was when the bastard Uchiha had left…

He felt his mood darken. It just always had to be the teme. His childhood had made sure that it took a lot more than people ignoring him to get him down, but when it came to the teme, it didn't take much to make him feel like a lonely 6 year old again. He pushed away his bowl more violently than necessary, spilling some of the contents onto the table top.

"Gomenasai," he muttered, feeling guilty when the old man just smiled good naturedly.

"Not to worry Naruto," he said. When he realized that the bowl was still full, he looked worriedly at the blonde, "Are you all right? You haven't been eating like you used to."

Naruto forced a grin on to his face, " My stomach isn't feeling too well, thats all."

The old man nodded wisely, "Ah. Well I know a few herbs that might help you out."

Naruto wasn't interested, but he feigned curiosity, thinking he still had half an hour before reporting at the village gates for his mission. Listening to the old man was any day better than being alone with his thoughts. Still, he found himself tuning out after a few seconds and he blamed this on the Uchiha's bad habits rubbing off on him.

"A herb called Senburi might help," the old man went on. "Though it's quite rare, I remember it grew a lot around the Uchiha district."

Naruto's eyes widened at the name and the old man smiled at his reaction, his eyes twinkling. The blonde looked away, colouring slightly. Shit, Just what was wrong with his brain anyway? Why did it only Uchiha related things filter through? But the old man didn't comment and continued on his lecture on herbal remedies and Naruto was grateful.

It was time to leave 15 minutes later and Naruto, after thanking the old man, walked towards the village gates with a very unsettling feeling of both anticipation and if he was honest with himself – fear.

Fear, that if he messed things up now, he might end up losing Sasuke for ever. Fear, that he might have to tell Sasuke the whole truth – that if he didn't agree to be with him, he would be signing Naruto's death warrant. It didn't take Naruto much imagination to picture Sasuke's face at that revelation.

But on the other hand, Naruto thought, perking up a little. This mission was the perfect opportunity to convince the Uchiha that the blonde was his only answer to some sort of stable partner. After all, who else could handle all of Sasuke's shit? Not to mention his tantrums , his mood swings and of course his violent temper.. Naruto couldn't even imagine Sasuke getting married to one of his simpering fan girls. Even they didn't deserve such a fate. He frowned, sometimes he wondered whether _he _deserved someone better than the asshole Uchiha.

But as soon as that thought entered his mind, his body revolted. Memories of that night overwhelmed him and for a few seconds all he could smell nothing but the earthy scent of Sasuke. It was disorienting, but delicious, and his heart beat faster as he remembered how that pale skin tasted. He licked his lips unconsciously. He needed so badly to be near him again, he could scream.

Grimacing at his sudden lack of control, Naruto shook his head to clear it. The images were making it difficult for him to think straight. He needed to be in absolute command of these next few days. Because Sasuke was sure as hell not going to give in easily.

By the time Naruto reached the village gates, the rest of his team mates were already present. The blonde had to grin at the two men. Tsunade really knew how to pick a team.

****************

Sasuke Uchiha slowed down when he caught site of the village gates. There was already one person present, waiting in his Anbu uniform with his mask casually hooked on his waist belt. From the long, flowing hair and tall lean frame, Sasuke didn't need to go any closer to guess who it was.

He grimaced. Of all the god dammed people to choose, the Hokage just had to choose Neji Hyuuga. Not only was he going to see through the henge he had on to cover the bruises on his neck, that had _still_ not disappeared completely ( damn that stupid blonde) but it was common knowledge that Neji was one of the many ninja's who had vociferously opposed his induction into the Konoha army again. The only reason he had agreed to soften was because Naruto had managed to convince him that Sasuke really, truly hadn't come back for the sole purpose of betraying Konoha again. _Naruto._

Avoiding thinking of that man was as difficult as finding your way out of an labyrinth. Every method Sasuke tried, be it training, eating or drinking, every little turn led back to the same path – Naruto. He had even tried imagining a hoard of fan girls running after him to get rid of the idiot in his head but then Naruto's grinning face had appeared again, telling him that running away wasn't going to solve anything. _He just – could – not – win._

So, it was with an understandably sour mood that the Uchiha sneered a greeting to the pale eyed, infuriatingly taller and broader Neji. He stopped a good distance from the long haired man. Not far enough that people who saw them would think they weren't together, but far enough that no one would mistake what he really thought of being near the Hyuuga . He hoped the fourth team member was a woman. Her presence would at least stop things from becoming too unpleasant between the three of them.

Neji gave him a matching sneer back but Sasuke secretly thought that his was much more sinister. Wasn't that what Naruto had told him once? It was a moment before Sasuke realized just what he had thought. AGAIN! It had happened -_ AGAIN_. Why couldn't the blonde just leave him _alone?_

"Is something the matter Uchiha?" Neji was peering at him with those freakish transparent eyes of his. Sasuke could see those eyes on his neck and he barely controlled himself from physically wiping that tiny amused smirk from the Hyuuga's face.

"No," he said coldly.

Neji raised an eyebrow, his gaze lingering on his neck, "Once Naruto is here, we will leave immediately."

From the tone of his voice, Sasuke realized that he must be the team captain. Great. Even Naruto as captain would be better than the long haired freak here. He didn't know why Neji hated him so much, though he had always suspected that maybe the ninja harboured more than just 'friendly' feelings for the blonde.

"What about the med nin?" Sasuke asked.

"There is no medical ninja in our team."

_What?_ Sasuke thought, incredulous.

Did the Hokage mean to send him and Naruto for a mission that might last weeks with _Neji?_ They were the worst possible team that could ever exist. Sasuke would happily let Neji accidentally die in a kunai trap and he was sure that Neji would do the same. And the Hokage had sent _Naruto_ in between this mess? Now Sasuke had to watch out for _two_ members of his team ( he had no illusions as to why Naruto was excited to go on this little trip), be on his best behavior, and single handedly catch the rogue Akatsuki?

"I see," was all he said.

"I know what you're thinking Uchiha," Neji said, turning so he faced the raven. Sasuke didn"t respond, so he continued. "But if you think I want to be here, you're mistaken."

Sasuke continued to not respond. It was none of his concern whether the damn Hyuuga wanted to be here or not.

"It is best for all our sake's that we get this mission over with as quickly as possible," the pale man said, getting visibly annoyed.

Sasuke couldn't help himself, " For once, you might just be talking some sense Hyuuga."

Neji glared at him, " It"s best not to talk to like that to your captain Uchiha. Its me whose going to be writing your evaluation, not Naruto. So be careful," he finished with a smirk.

Sasuke fumed but acknowledged the Hyuuga's rank with a curt nod of understanding. They stood like that for a tense minute, before the Hyuuga's whole body relaxed and his still face suddenly broke into a smile. Sasuke followed his gaze to the figure than was jogging up to them, and if possible, tensed even more. The rest of their team had arrived.

*********************

Naruto grinned at the Hyuuga who had come forward to greet him. He threw an arm around Neji, and the older man didn't tense up but relaxed a little. After so many years of knowing each other, the Hyuuga had opened up… well to select people at least, and Naruto felt proud to be one of the privileged few.

"I haven't seen you in a while, Naruto," the long haired man said, carefully extracting himself from the blonde's hold.

"Yeah, I've been busy." He threw a glance at Sasuke, who looked away almost immediately. Naruto's grin fell a little, but then he was distracted by Neji.

"As you know, Hokage - sama decided that having a med nin with my experience in healing was unnecessary-"

Naruto nodded, his eyes still not leaving Sasuke's rigid form. He was standing a few feet away, dressed in his usual jounin outfit and his usual scowl but Naruto could not stop his heart from beating faster. He could smell him from here, the addictive scent that he was never ever going to get enough of. If he could just be a little close-

"Naruto." It was Neji. Naruto snapped back to reality and turned to look at the brunette who was giving him a rather peculiar look.

"Erm? Yeah. No fourth member. Tsunade-sama already told me about that." Naruto said, laughing and scratching the back of his head. Really, he needed to stop being so obvious. And it didn't help that the teme already looked seemed so uptight and closed off.

He huffed. Sasuke should be grateful that he hadn't forced himself on him yet, especially since every fiber in being was telling him that he shouldn't be standing where he was, with Neji between them, but right next to Sasuke. He had already exercised enough control by leaving the bastard alone for the past few days.

"Since we are only a three man team," Neji continued, " We must exercise greater caution. Uchiha will lead, Naruto you will be in the middle. And I will watch from behind. We must reach Rain by tomorrow night."

"Yosh!" Naruto said, feeling the first few familiar tendrils of excitement that always coiled in his stomach before leaving for a mission. Not to mention he was going to spend a _whole_ two weeks with the Uchiha.

Neji nodded and then cast a sparing glance at Sasuke, "Uchiha, Note the time of departure. 16 00 hours."

Only a slight twitch of the jaw told Naruto how much Sasuke loathed being ordered around by the Hyuuga but it was with a professional 'Hai' that Sasuke recorded the time in his little notebook.

They walked out of the village gates, Naruto maneuvering himself so he was in the middle of the two men. Sasuke walked faster, as if sensing what the blonde was doing, but Naruto matched his speed. He knew that neither of them could stray too far from their captain. Soon he and the teme were walking a good 8 feet ahead of the Hyuuga, who was taking the little time they had before they reached the forests to review a map.

"So…How've you been?"

From the side ways glance of the Uchiha, Naruto knew that both of them understood how awkward the words had sounded. But at the moment with the Hyuuga behind them, it was the best Naruto could do. It wasn't like the Bastard would ever initiate a conversation.. and from the looks of it he wasn't even going to answer. _Bastard_. This trip was going to be hard work.

"The bruises on your neck seem to have gone.." Naruto observed after a few moments of tense silence. Sasuke stiffened, sharingan eyes turning to him with a clear intention to hurt.

"They haven't," he hissed, looking like only the Hyuuga's presence was preventing him from attacking the blonde.

Naruto gave him a nervous grin, "Well, yeah, sorry about that."

"Don't say things you don't mean," Sasuke snapped, as if annoyed that he was being made to speak.

"You're right, I shouldn't." Naruto said seriously, watching the ravens reaction closely. He, unfortunately didn't get to see that little blush that he was hoping to see again, but he did, however, get a full blast of the immobilizing Uchiha glare which he was (unfortunately for Sasuke) almost immune too. This seemed to frustrate the raven even more and Naruto heard a very audible, exasperated '_dobe'_ as the Uchiha launched off into the forest.

Naruto watched his best friend go with a small smile on his face. He hadn't expected to get Sasuke to talk to him so soon. Sure he hadn't said anything nice or along the lines of 'I was wrong Naruto sama, how can I make it up to you?', but maybe this was not going to be as difficult as he'd thought. He was about to follow his teme into the forest, when a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"What is it?" Naruto asked, turning to look at Neji.

The Hyuuga watched the disappearing figure of Sasuke and then examined his blonde friends smiling face.

"Is there something I should know?" he asked, his voice neutral.

Naruto's hand immediately jumped to the back of his head and he laughed his care free laugh that didn't fool the Hyuuga in the slightest, " Of course not."

Neji seemed to accept his answer, though the long haired man still looked suspicious."Lets go" he said, "There shouldn't be more than a 10 second gap between the three of us."

The blonde nodded, and after vowing to be more careful around the Hyuuga, launched off into the forest, looking forward to an uninterrupted view of Sasuke's ass .

****************************

A few hours later :

"But I'm telling you that I don't have it."

" And I'm telling you, I know you're _lying,_" the Uchiha snarled.

Neji Hyuuga sighed, feeling immensely sorry for himself that he had been chosen for this mission. He had been a little confused as to what the Hokage was thinking when she sent three of the strongest Konoha had to track down one akatsuki member but now he understood why he had been sent – to play _baby sitter._ He'd probably be the only one strong enough to stop this squabbling couple ( because really, they were certainly acting like one ), if they had a physical fight.

The three of them had set up camp for the night only a few minutes ago and already the blonde and the Uchiha were bickering. Neji had sensed something was wrong the moment he had seen the both of them together ( and the hickeys's on the raven'e neck).

The Uchiha was, in general, the most relaxed around the blonde, but for some reason he now seemed to be tense whenever Naruto was near him, which was almost all the time. It was like Naruto was doing it on purpose, just to annoy the other man. Really, he thought, rolling his eyes, they were such _children!_

Thinking he better stop the argument before it got violent, Neji cleared his throat. However, they ignored him so he cleared his throat louder. This time he caught both of their attentions and Naruto beat Sasuke to it,

"I forgot to pack my tent."

"He's lying," came the immediate snapped reply.

Neji gave the Uchiha a cool stare, not at all liking the fact that he had joined them on this arrogance often reminded him of himself before he had met Naruto, and it made his dislike for the man difficult to conceal. If Neji had had his way the raven would still be on genin duty or better yet, behind bars

"Naruto, have you checked you bag thoroughly?"

He nodded, "I did, its not there. I removed it to clean my supplies so it must have been left behind…"

Sasuke was glaring at Neji, "You can't tell me that you believed that!"

Naruto sighed, a little too dramatically "I know, I know. I'm sorry. I'll just sleep outside, its okay."

Neji watched the two men carefully, knowing he was missing something. As a captain he needed to know what exactly was going on. He wasn"t going to let petty politics affect the success of his mission.

So what if Naruto actually had forgotten his tent? Both Neji and Sasuke had tents big enough for two grown men to squeeze into, so what exactly was going on here? He narrowed his eyes and said,

"This forest is not safe at night, Naruto."

"I know." Naruto paused then grinned, " but Sasuke teme won't let me into his tent."

The Hyuuga blinked at the blonde's sly smile and the very obvious implication in those words. Then all of a sudden he finally Understood. The fierce tension between the two men that he had been trying to place suddenly explained itself. He couldn't _believe_ he hadn't connected the fading marks on the Uchiha's neck to his strange behavior around the blonde.

So something had happened between the Naruto and the Uchiha. Something that obviously the raven was not too happy about. Which was why he didn't want to share his tent with the blonde. In normal circumstances ,Neji would have let the two men sort it out between themselves. But then, he _really_ did not like Uchiha. He still found it difficult to forgive him for betraying the Village and most of all, for betraying Naruto. If there was something he could do for the blonde, whom he already owed so much to, he would do it without any hesitation.

So he cleared his throat once more, his face expressionless.

"No" he said, letting his authority as captain filter into his voice. "You can share the Uchiha's tent." Neji caught the blonde's delighted gaze, and then smirked at the Uchiha, vindicated by his furious glare.

"Fine," Sasuke bit out. "_I'll_ sleep outside."

"The forest is not safe," Neji repeated. He'd always thought that the only person that could keep the Uchiha on a leash he very much needed, was Naruto. So it was with unconcealed smugness that Neji said, "No one sleeps outside." And when he saw Sasuke opening his mouth to argue he added, "That's an _order._"

He nodded at Naruto who gave him a wide grin and a mouthed thank you, sneered at the miserable Uchiha, and then retreated into his tent, thinking that he had done his good deed for the year.

******************************

Sasuke was still seething when he stormed inside his tent. He did not want to spend the whole night with the blonde 2 inches away from him god dammit! He knew he was strong enough to stop the blonde if he tried anything but then why… why was he still so _upset?_

A little voice laughed at him in his head, taunting him that the only reason he was so angry was because he was afraid he might just end up just like that morning - Leaning into the stupid blonde's warm body and the worst part – _liking_ it.

He rubbed his fore head, which was starting to ache, and he was glad that the dobe at least had the sense to wait outside for a little while. What he needed was a bath to clear his head. He knew, from his days at Sound, that there were hot springs near by and he was going to make full use of it. He deserved the break, Sasuke told himself. Especially since he was going to have to come back to _his_ tent with half of _his_ space taken up by the dobe.

He gathered up a towel and strode past the blonde, silencing the 'where are you go- ' with a withering glare. He needed to be alone and he needed to find a way to clear his head of the annoying little voice that was responsible for his head ache.

20 minutes later :

"Oh for Gods sake dobe, what are you, a fucking stalker?!"

Sasuke was sitting with his legs stretched out in front of him, in a shallow part of a hot spring where the water reached up to his waist. He had found the ideal spot in the water, where the soil rose high enough to rest his head on and the temperature was just right, neither too hot nor too cold. Perfect. Or rather it had been perfect.

Sasuke glared a patch of trees beyond the opposite bank of the hot spring, hating how his voice seemed to jar the soothing quiet surroundings.

There was a rustling of some leaves, which according to Sasuke ruined the tranquil surroundings completely, and soon a lean body emerged from the bushes. The moon was only half bloom tonight and the hot springs were not large enough, so the surrounding trees crowded over the circular spring, not letting much of the moon light through.

As a consequence, Sasuke could only see the dobe's silhouette as he splashed into the water at the other end noisily. Sasuke wanted to activate his sharingan to see the blonde clearly, but it would just made his head ache worse. So he just closed his itching eyes, relying on naruto's overbearing chakra to tell him where he was.

He sensed the dobe at the other end and he was grateful that he stayed there. Maybe Naruto was respecting his space for once in his life and staying a good distance away. Huh, Sasuke thought, why did that sound so wrong?

"I'm _not_ stalking you."

Sasuke jumped, turning to his right to see Naruto grinning at him with his usual childish expression. Sasuke glanced at the space where he thought the blonde had been and a heard a typical kage bunshin 'poof'. Great, he had been tricked by the stupid usuratonkachi... He glanced at the blonde, noticing that Naruto was sitting a little too close. Just a tiny tilt to his right, and their shoulders would bump into each other.

This fact usually wouldn't have bothered Sasuke, but now it just made him want to back away, to put some much needed space between him and the half naked blonde. But then, that would mean giving up his spot, which he had spent considerable effort finding. And no way in hell was he going to do that.

So Sasuke ignored the dobe, leaning back and closing his eyes, hoping that if he ignored Naruto long enough, he would go away. However, even he knew that was wishful thinking. Sasuke could still feel the blondes heavy gaze on him, or rather his chest. He felt his fists tighten underneath the water. He couldn't _stand_ this. The last person who had leched at him this shamelessly had gotten a fist in his face.

"_Dobe_," he warned, hating that he was tense again.

Naruto sighed, "I can't help it."

Sasuke opened his eyes and turned to glare at the blonde who, somehow, was closer than before. His eyes weren't red like Sasuke remembered, but a dark blue, made darker by the poor light.

"You can," Sasuke snarled, "just go back to the tent and get it out of your system."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "I don't want to."

"If you come _any_ closer, I will break your nose."

"And that's supposed to scare me?"

_Yes it is god dammit!!_ Sasuke thought furiously. Why did nothing he did work when it came to the dobe?

He suddenly realized that Naruto was coming closer, his gaze fixed on something just below Sasuke's nose. Sasuke's eyes widened, amazed at the blonde's audacity. He wouldn't dare…

But Naruto did. One moment Sasuke was staring at the blonde's approaching face, the next he was jerking backwards as a pair of warm lips enclosed his own. His right fist flung outwards in reflex, but a strong grip didn't let it reach the target, and Sasuke opened his mouth to protest. Which, in retrospect was a mistake. Naruto took full advantage and Sasuke let out a 'mmmph' as a warm tongue filled his mouth in less than a second.

For a whole moment, Sasuke was in shock. Shocked, not only because he had let the dobe get the better of him, shocked because that dammed tongue was doing wonders inside his mouth. _Where the hell had the dobe learned to kiss like that?_ Naruto deepened the kiss and it sent a sliver of pleasure down his spine. Shit, this was – not – good. No wait. It was better than good. It was – the thought dissipated, and Sasuke found himself automatically responding when Naruto leaned into him.

Their tongue's met in a way that reminded Sasuke of their fights - violent and all consuming. The dobe tasted a little like the berries they had for a snack earlier and Sasuke couldn't get enough it. How long had it been since he'd just _kissed_ someone? He found he couldn't remember as he gripped the blonde's hair to pull him closer. He swallowed a moan as their damp chests pressed into each other and, in his craving for friction, he tried to push Naruto backward.

However the hard muscle did not budge and Sasuke used a little more force, disappointed when all he got was more resistance. But then he felt Naruto's lips move to his neck, and this time Sasuke could not stop the moan that escaped him. He tightened his hold on the blonde's hair when the torturous mouth moved over faded bruises in less than gentle nips and sucks. He tried to free his other hand from the blonde's grip but the other man wouldn't relent, using his position to slowly push Sasuke back.

Sasuke stilled, not liking where this was going, but then Naruto bit down on the junction between his neck and collar bone and he could do nothing but moan again. He had always known that his neck was his weak spot, but _this?_ The blonde curled his hand around his waist, increasing the pressure slowly, so that Sasuke didn't know what was happening until he was already flat on his back, water and heat surrounding him.

And it was only when Naruto sunk his teeth into his neck hard enough to illicit an ow that Sasuke's brain hiccupped into function again. He untangled his free hand from the blonde's hair and pressed against the chest that was still pushing him further into the water. Naruto didn't stop, and Sasuke started to get worried. He wrenched his mouth away and the insistent lips followed, not allowing him to take a deep enough breath. _Stupid dobe!_ he thought as he gathered his strength and then shoved, hard enough to startle the blonde into retreating a little.

"What?" Naruto said, his voice raw and annoyed.

Both of them were breathing heavily and Sasuke glanced up to look at his best friend, very aware of the stiffness between his own legs and the bulge of the man who was almost sitting on top of him. Shit, they were already hard.. and that too with just a little _kissing_. Glaring at the blonde, Sasuke tugged his hand out of a reluctant hold to massage his neck.

"You bit me, you moron," he snapped.

Naruto's glazed eyes cleared a little, but what made Sasuke apprehensive was the intensity with which they swiveled to his neck. Then the blonde grinned, and his hand went to the back of his head in a gesture so familiar and out of place at the same time that Sasuke couldn't help but scowl.

"Oh yeah… sorry. Didn't know you were so delicate _teme_."

"Shut up dobe." Sasuke said, feeling the tension between them lessen with each passing second, " I'm not into things like that."

"Is that why you're hard?" Naruto asked innocently, using the moment to swoop down and try to kiss him again. But Sasuke was prepared this time. He avoided it expertly and pushed himself back up, heaving the blonde off him and into the water. Just how had Naruto managed to get him on his back without him even _noticing?_ It was unsettling… to say the least.

It was usually him who had the other person in such a moaning quivering mess that they didn't even realise what had hit them until the raven was buttoning up his shirt and leaving… and now .. He glanced at the blonde who was pouting, in a way that made Sasuke wonder what those lips would like on his cock. Shit! He was such a fool to let it go this far. What was going to happen now? What exactly did Naruto think this was? He wouldn't take this as Sasuke giving in to his ridiculous proposal would he?

Whatever happened was just something physical… nothing else. Maybe the blonde would now get him out of his head…

"Sasuuuuke" he whined. Or maybe not.

Sasuke got up from the water, adjusting the thankfully lessening stiffness in his pants.

"Let's go dobe," he ordered, draining a little water from his hair. He couldn't let this go any further. Sure he could fuck the blonde and get it over with, but he didn't think the blonde was as casual about sex as he was.. and would he even be able to treat Naruto like the others?

He looked behind to see Naruto getting up, the bulge in his pants still very much visible. Sasuke's gaze lingered as the water curved around tanned, well defined muscle but then Naruto's eyes caught him and he looked away, annoyed.

"We're going back?" Naruto's voice was back to normal but there was un undercurrent of anger in his voice.

"Hn."

There was silence behind him and Sasuke felt a little guilty, but he stamped it out, thinking this was best for the dobe. He didn't want to give Naruto any false hopes. He'd done enough damage already.

"We aren't even going to talk about this?"

Sasuke took a deep breath, "there's nothing to talk about."

Naruto's chakra was suddenly motionless behind him and Sasuke stiffened, knowing that it was usually a sign that the blonde was going to attack, but the moment passed and Sasuke relaxed. He was _not_ in the mood to fight.

"I see," was all the blonde said.

A little confused by his friends reaction, Sasuke turned around to face the blonde. Wasn't the dobe supposed to argue with him, or insult him, or something along those lines? Hadn't he just been an insensitive jerk? But Naruto just looked oddly calm, like what they had done was the most natural thing in the world.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. There was something disturbing about an unpredictable Naruto that was enough to make his skin crawl. Just how much of an effect did the Kyuubi have on his dobe? The blonde raised both eyebrows at the Uchiha when he noticed him staring.

"Thought you were going teme."Naruto adjusted his shorts, "I have to take care of a little thing before I .." he trailed off, his eyes reflecting like a wild animal's in the dark.

Sasuke scowled, the stupid dobe! He stalked out of the hot spring, trying to shake off the feeling of uneasiness that prickled his neck. His arousal was long gone and in its wake, it left him annoyed and disgruntled. He just needed to sleep, maybe then he would be able to make sense of what had just happened.

****

A/N ( yes, me again) : this was a long chapter, owing to the fact that I wrote this 5 months after chapter 9..hehe. throw me some more review life jackets!! Please? *puppy eyes*


	11. Chapter 11

A/n : long time no see! *nervous giggle* Thank you for Jen (wordlslave) for betaing this and Kimya for your very valid input.. *grin*

Chapter 11 – Rain Country

Naruto was fuming, barely controlling himself as he stalked back to the camp site. That stupid emotionally stunted Uchiha. When he had responded to the kiss, Naruto thought that maybe he would stop being so stubborn about the idea of them together. It had felt so right, not just the kiss, but just sitting side by side in the water like that. Maybe he shouldn't have pushed so much.. argh! If he had just let it be, then maybe Sasuke wouldn't have left so suddenly. How was he going to convince him of anything now?

He wrenched a branch away from his face, feeling a dark satisfaction as he heard it snap. He hadn't forced Sasuke to stay because he knew that would never work. He wanted the teme to stay because _he _wanted to, not because Naruto felt he should. Plus even he had convinced Sasuke to stay somehow, they would just end up fighting. Which defeated the whole purpose of tonight. Tonight was supposed to be romantic, not violent.

The bastard sure knew how to ruin the mood though, he thought. Would he even acknowledge what had happened? Or would he pretend like nothing had changed? Naruto paused, wincing as he stepped on a particularly crunchy leaf in the dark, causing a bird to shriek loudly in the night.

As if his stillness gave his doubt more strength, an evil twitter fluttered in his head, urging him to go into that tent and just tell Sasuke just what would happen if he refused him too long. Naruto thinned his lips. After all, without him, Naruto would die. He wouldn't want that would he? To be responsible for the death of the future Hokage, not to mention his best friend. In the end Sasuke would have to agree and then they could stop this stupid game they were playing.

He started walking again, more carefully this time. But then, Naruto knew that if he took Sasuke by force or blackmail, their relationship would be ruined - forever. He balked at the thought. He would rather die than let that happen. He wanted a happily ever after and he didn't care if people said that ninja's were not destined for it . He would prove them wrong. All needed was Sasuke to want and believe it too.

He sighed as he entered the camp site. The crackle and hiss of the fire was the only sound around, the animals were silent and wary of the human settlers. It was quiet and peaceful and Naruto was grateful. He needed a good night's sleep. It was the only one they were going to get before they left Fire country, after that, one of them was going to have to keep watch. He paused before entering his tent, sensing that Sasuke was awake. The bastard obviously expected him to go in and pretend like nothing happened. Or, going by the too still chakra inside, expected some sort of ambush.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. He understood to some extent why Sasuke was so vehemently against attachment of any kind. It couldn't be easy losing one's whole family, but the fact was, that it was time that the Uchiha got over it. The blond was aware that the closest thing Sasuke had to any sort of bond was with him. He also knew, thanks to tonight, that Sasuke wasn't averse to being with him physically. So technically a huge hurdle had been crossed, and that too, quickly. He smirked, tempted to go inside and give Sasuke exactly what he wanted – a fight and the maybe continue where they left off. Hell, he was sure the Uchiha expected it. But Naruto stopped himself, taking a deep breath.

He was not going to do anything that the bastard wanted or expected. This was too serious. More importantly, Sasuke had to know he was serious.

He couldn't just ignore what had happened like he would have with any of his other flings. Naruto wasn't like those simpering fans who would gladly let the Uchiha walk all over them. He was an equal. And it was not wise to take him lightly, or try and ignore him.

Naruto liked to think he knew Sasuke better than anyone else did. So he understood that he needed to do something that would force the teme to differentiate between all the faceless others who liked him and Naruto. A part of that job was already done. After all, if Sasuke didn't care about him, he wouldn't have stopped him like he did at the hot springs. He would have gone ahead, unmindful. The blond now had to cement this distinction and he frowned as an idea started forming in mind.

It was something that would horrify any one even remotely attracted to the Uchiha and a large part of Naruto was flinching at the thought. But he knew it had to be done.So, ignoring the almost physical pain at his action, he took a step backward, turned around and walked calmly into Neji's tent, grinning as he imagined Sasuke's reaction.

*********

Sasuke tensed, feeling the blonde's chakra outside the tent. He pulled his blanket tightly around him and turned on his side, shutting his eyes. He knew Naruto wouldn't be fooled, but at least if he pretended to sleep the blond would get the point and not disturb him. He already was cursing himself for what he had let happen at the hot springs and he was dreading the night to come.

Even he knew that people didn't get that turned on by just a little kissing. He hadn't expected to react like that and he shifted uncomfortably at the memory. As if on cue, the traitorous little voice in his head returned, making him wonder if he would be even able to resist Naruto, now that he had a taste of what it would be like with him. It had been what, 3 months since he had last slept with someone? A long time to go without sex at his age. And if, hypothetically speaking of course, he did end up sleeping with the dobe, Sasuke was sure Naruto would take it as him giving in to whatever the hell he had in mind. Which was wrong on pure principle. It didn't matter why, where or who to. Uchiha's didn't give in. Period.

Sasuke frowned. But just what did the blond have in mind? Considering what the Kyuubi was doing to the him, Naruto would never have told him about the two month heat if it wasn't important or urgent. Sasuke recognized that. That meant whatever Naruto wanted was something serious.

Serious. In dobe speak, that meant permanent. Sasuke felt himself go pale at the implication. There was no way in _hell_ he could be expected to go along with this.

Now, angry all over again, Sasuke steeled himself as he heard Naruto pause outside. He couldn't give in to whatever the dobe wanted. He just wasn't capable of it and he didn't think he ever would be. Of all people, the dobe should have understood that. His hands strayed to the kunai underneath his pillow, as Naruto moved outside, expecting the familiar chakra to come closer. But instead, the chakra grew weaker and Sasuke blinked in the darkness. Just what was the dobe doing?

He heard steady footsteps go around the tent and the Uchiha grew suspicious as they faded. Unable to stifle his curiosity, he activated his sharingan, hardly believing it as he watched Naruto bend and slip into the Hyuuga's tent.

It was only after 10 minutes of silence that Sasuke realized that Naruto wasn't coming back out. He let go of his kunai, confused and disgruntled. What the hell was the dobe doing? Why would he not come in after making such a fuss about sharing the tent? He rolled on to his back, and glared at the empty space on his right. He knew he had been a jerk at the hot springs, but it wasn't like the blond to just give up like that.

He closed his eyes, telling himself that it was a good thing that the dobe had decided to sleep in the Hyuuga's tent. And no, he wasn't, _at all_ disappointed that Naruto had, for once in his life, actually listened to him and given him his space. The little voice in his head laughed at him.

*************

The next morning Sasuke woke at up 15 minutes before 5 am, their agreed departure time. He was in a foul mood, which was no surprise considering that he had not had a very peaceful night.

The Uchiha had been convinced that forgetting about the hot springs would be easy. After all, he couldn't even remember the face of the last person he fucked, but apparently he was wrong. Trying to erase a very pleasurable few minutes with one's best friend was harder than he imagined.

Every time he shut his eyes, he was assailed with images from the hot springs, or even that morning when he woke up with the dobe half on top of him. Appalled by his body's weakness, he tried to shut the dreams out, but it never worked. He'd found himself waking up to an uncomfortable tightness in his pants. All his efforts were like to trying to plug the cracks of a leaking dam with bare hands, pointless and tiring.

Unable to sleep, Sasuke had thought that distracting himself with mission details would help him relax. However, even though he had memorized every inch of the file, including the fact that this particular Akatsuki on 12 of January one year ago had switched favorite drinks from whisky to sake, he still found himself plagued with images of his last few meetings with Naruto. Frustrated, but still refusing to surrender to his body, he had finally fallen into a fitful sleep, waking up with barely 15 minutes to spare.

He could feel the Hyuuga's chakra moving about outside, but Naruto didn't seem to be anywhere around. Satisfied, Sasuke quickly stepped out and began to dismantle his tent. The day was damp but not dark, with the morning sun promising to be up in another hour or so. The Hyuuga was sitting next to the burnt out fire, scribbling something in his notebook and Sasuke guessed that they were probably going to discuss their plan of action before leaving.

He sat down opposite Neji, preferring to sit on the ground rather than share the log the Hyuuga was sitting on. The captain glanced up, his eyes almost glowing in the early dawn light.

'Naruto and I have already discussed what our next step should be,' he stated, eyeing the other man.

'Hn,' Sasuke offered, not surprised that he had been left out of the decision making. That didn't stop him from resenting his teammates though, and he waited impatiently for his orders.

'Hoshi Misakagawa, our intended target' Neji started, ' has been in rain only for a total 4 months -'

'I've read the file' Sasuke interrupted, not liking that the Hyuuga was insisting on talking to him like he was an amateur.

Neji paused, then his eyes narrowed. 'Fine. It has come to our notice that the target is partial to men, or more specifically, young boys…' he trailed off, and Sasuke made no comment. He was no stranger to pedophiles or perverts.

'He has a special whore house that he visits every week.' Neji continued, 'And it is best that we carry out the operation then, when he is at his weakest. However, he is a cautious man and uses a different body every time he visits.'

'The files says he's an expert at chakra concealment.' Sasuke said, wondering what the dobe and the Hyuuga had planned.

'Chakra concealment _and_ manipulation. Even the Byakugan cannot identify him in disguise.'

'Really?' Sasuke said, surprised. If the Byakugan couldn't detect chakra signatures in someone, then the only hope was the sharingan.

'We don't know about the sharingan,' Neji said, watching him. 'though there are rumors that not even your brother or Pein were capable of telling him apart in a crowd.'

Sasuke couldn't help the tightening in his chest at the mention of Itachi and was grateful that the Hyuuga was now back to looking at his notebook.

'There is no confirmation of this though?' Sasuke forced himself to speak, determined to move on.

'No, but apart from his transformation jutsu, he is not known to have any other dangerous skills. The most difficult part will be identifying him. We are counting on the fact that he doesn't expect us to know he exists. Only a handful of the Akatsuki knew of him in the first place.'

'It would be better if we had a contact inside the whore house,' Sasuke said, knowing that they had already thought of it.

Neji nodded, ' We already do. A woman called Tanaka, a rain ninja.'

'A ninja or a prostitute?' Sasuke asked irritated, not remembering any mention of her in the brief. So not only had they already made a plan, but now he had even been given an incomplete file. It wasn't a pleasant feeling at all to be trusted so little.

Neji gave him a small smirk, 'Doesn't matter. She's got one of us a job as a receptionist at the hotel that doubles up as the whore house. Naruto's gone ahead of us to establish contact. He'll send a frog to tell us where he's made arrangements for living.'

'Someone specializing in chakra signature should go undercover,' Sasuke suggested, not wanting to be too direct and say it should be him to get the assignment. Neji's eyes were too conspicuous and Naruto was a dobe at anything to do with chakra signature. But they probably knew that already.

Neji nodded again, "You will be going. However once you identify Masakagawa you are to report back to us." Neji's eyes hardened, "I will not tolerate any insubordination or going off alone."

Sasuke wanted to sneer, instead he nodded. He shouldn't be surprised. Of course he wasn't going to be allowed to do any more. Why did he even bother hoping that they would actually give him a chance to use his new jutsu?

The Hyuuga got up and Sasuke stared at him, "What will you and Naruto be doing till I identify him?"

Neji paused, "I will be in hiding and Naruto will help you with your investigation."

With that said, his team captain picked up his supplies.

"Let's go," he ordered. "I expect no more than a 10 second lag between us."

Sasuke rolled his eyes behind Neji's back as the other launched off into the forest. Fucking jerk, Sasuke seethed, as he followed the Hyuuga. This mission was turning out to be worse than he imagined.

****************

Naruto pulled the curtains closed in the room, tired of watching the rain. It was so heavy that it was impossible to look beyond a few feet. He sighed, he had always hated thunderstorms. He even preferred the freezing cold to the incessant downpour of rain. He found the steady beating of the rain on the roof monotonous, not calming, like many people claimed it be.

He turned around, surveying the tiny flat he had rented. It was basically two rooms, a bedroom and a living area that doubled up as kitchen, with one small bathroom attached to the bedroom that he suspected used to be the closet. It was small but cozy, just the way he liked it. More importantly, it was directly opposite Hotel Kama, the infamous den that Masakagawa visited often.

Tanaka-san, the blonde middle aged ninja/whore, had helped him rent the place. All employees of Hotel Kama, she had told him, stayed close by since the working hours were mostly at night. The apartment was technically meant for Sasuke, but Neji had thought it unwise that all three of them live separately, so it was decided that it would be him would bunk with the bastard. He grinned, remembering how sharingan eyes had tracked him all the way into the Neji's tent the previous night. Sasuke was such an idiot sometimes.

Naruto stored all his equipment underneath the bed, and sat down, waiting for his partner to show up. This mission was not going to be as easy as he'd thought it would be. Tanaka san had refused to tell him how the Rain elders knew of Masakagawa's presence but she had made it clear that they wanted him dead. The village couldn't afford to be associated with any more Akatsuki and Konoha was more than willing to oblige them.

However, tackling a chakra manipulator who was an expert in form shifting was dangerous. He hoped that the sharingan would be strong enough to recognize Masakagawa no matter what form he was. But considering that Sasuke could see the Kyuubi if he wanted, it shouldn't be impossible.

Hearing footsteps beyond the door, Naruto got up, crossing the bedroom a and living room in a total of 8 steps. He swung open the door, grinning at as it revealing a wet, sour faced Uchiha dressed in civilian clothes. He was immediately shouldered to the side as Sasuke entered and Naruto had an instinctual urge to swoop him up and kiss him. He squashed it quickly when he noticed the landlord standing a foot away in the passage, watching Sasuke with a heavy leer.

Naruto narrowed his eyes, "Thank you for showing him here," he said, trying to sound casual. The balding beady eyed man nodded.

"Is your friend working at Kama?" he asked, gesturing in the direction of Sasuke, who had disappeared into the closet- bathroom.

Naruto wanted to punch that smirk off the pervert's face but instead he smiled. He couldn't afford to get on the landlord's bad side. This mission depended on them staying undercover.

"Yes," he said and then added, "as a replacement for Ginta."

"Oh," he said, and Naruto was pleased to see the raw disappointment on his face. That meant he knew that Ginta had been the last receptionist, nothing more. After thanking him once more, he slammed the door shut, wondering how Sasuke dealt with creepy people like that. Maybe it should have been him to take the job, Sasuke would attract too much attention –

"What the fuck is this?"

Naruto turned around to see Sasuke staring at the bed, paused midway in the process of drying his hair with a white towel. It shouldn't have been arousing, considering he was fully clothed, but it was anyway and Naruto gulped. He realized that he toughest thing wasn't going to be the mission, but controlling himself around the bastard.

"Err, that's your uniform," he replied, loving how the damp clothes stuck so close to the other man's body. The Uchiha _had_ to be cold in those, maybe if he offered to warm him a little. Naruto sighed as felt a familiar heat around his collar . This was not going like he planned it. He had to be in _control_ the next few weeks, not behave like a animal in rut. He shut his eyes, willing it down. Sasuke didn't have to know how close he was from trying to tackle him onto the bed.

"You can't be serious..." Sasuke was protesting, glaring at the garments laid on the bed. Naruto squinted at the layers of clothing, feeling a little sorry for his friend. He was glad that he didn't have to wear any of _that_.

The kimono lying on the sheets was made of a dark blue silk (Naruto sure it was meant to be black) with delicate pink flowers dotting almost every inch of the cloth. Golden threads coiled around the flowers, making it reflect even the dull yellow light in the room. It seemed more like a cheap geisha's kimono that had been cut up and stitched in the men's style. Even the obi* was pink, a shade that would have clashed horribly with Sakura's hair. The only saving grace was it was paired with a dark blue hakama*, but Naruto knew that Sasuke was going to hate it anyway.

He shrugged, hiding a grin, 'You're the receptionist at a whore house, what d'you expect?"

"Oh, shut up," snapped the Uchiha, turning to face him.

"Look, I didn't pick these out," Naruto said, defending himself. "This is what the last guy wore…"

"I'm sorry," Sasuke spat, "I think you meant the last guy was a whore!"

Naruto couldn't help but laugh, amazed that Sasuke had actually made a joke.. well kinda, at least. "C'mon teme. It's part of your cover…"

This seemed to quiet Sasuke down but he still glared at Naruto as if he was solely responsible for his predicament. Huh, Naruto thought... maybe he was. Grinning at this realization, the blond flopped down on the bed and crossed his legs, leaning back on the head board with hands folded behind his head.

"So, you gonna change now?" Naruto couldn't help but sound enthusiastic.

"Now?"

"Yeah, your shift starts exactly at-" Naruto glanced at this wrist watch, "16 00 hours, which is one hour from now. Didn't Neji tell you?"

"No," Sasuke sounded bitter. "He didn't."

"Well go on then," Naruto said, enjoying himself. "I'm sure the pink will suit you teme."

"Fuck you," came the harsh reply. Naruto raised an eyebrow, flinching as Sasuke slammed the bathroom door behind him so hard the windows rattled. The teme was in a worse mood than usual, he noticed. His digs normally had so little effect on the other man that Naruto often doubted if Sasuke listened to him at all.

He stretched his legs out and wiggled his toes, knowing that Sasuke was angry with him. While this would have usually made Naruto upset, this time he just smirked. Not going into that tent had been a good move after all. Maybe the bastard was finally realizing that it wasn't so easy to ignore Naruto Uzumaki.

It was 10 minutes before the bathroom door was pushed open. Naruto blinked, looking forward to a good laugh at his best friend's expense. But for a whole moment, Naruto was at a loss of words. He couldn't _believe_ it. The kimono actually .._suited.._ the teme He had heard many a person say that Sasuke would look good in anything and the blond had scoffed. _No_ one could look that good. But as always, the Uchiha was proving him wrong.

Naruto had only seen Sasuke in three outfits. Those silly white shorts of his, the stupid purple bow, and his Jounin outfit. Since the teme never bothered to come to festivals, he had never had the opportunity to see him in formals. Now, Naruto was thinking he should have tried harder to convince his friend to attend them.

On his pale skin the dark blue was more prominent than the pink flowers, making it seem less like a cheap whore's outfit and more like an actual kimono. Sasuke hadn't tied the obi tight enough because the kimono was almost a quarter open, revealing a lot of his chest and neck. It was difficult for Naruto to tear his eyes away from the expanse of creamy white skin. What was with Sasuke and revealing so much? There was almost as much skin on display as that ridiculous white top he wore while at Orochimaru's. Only now instead a purple bow, there was a pink obi holding everything together.

Sasuke didn't look like a whore at all. He looked…_good_. And not good in the way he usually did, but in a way that made Naruto want to rip those clothes open and -

"_Dobe_." Sasuke interrupted his thoughts and Naruto gulped, feeling the heat he had pushed down return in full force at that voice. He forced himself to look up, not at all comfortable with how quickly he was losing control.

"What?" he croaked. Sasuke's face was impassive and unreadable, but the way those dark eyes were boring into his, Naruto was sure the other man knew what he was thinking.

"Are you going to tell me what this Tanaka woman looks like or am I supposed to guess?"

"Err.. Tanaka? Right. Uhm.."

Naruto winced at how stupid he sounded. Shit, this wasn't how it was supposed to go. The teme was supposed to have looked stupid and _he_ was supposed to laugh at him, dammit! This wasn't _fair_. All his hard work was going to go down the drain if he gave Sasuke the advantage now.

"Well?" The voice was as good as a smirk and Naruto bristled. The bastard was _enjoying _this! Did he torment his other admirers like this too? Naruto wondered, anger mixing with arousal that was now so heavy, it was getting difficult to breath.

"She's a blond," he ground out, glaring at Sasuke who was perfect and poised and indifferent. Naruto knew him well enough to know it was act.

"And?" It was amazing how the teme could raise a eyebrow without actually having to do it.

"And she has green eyes. She's middle aged, around Sakura's height and has a tattoo of a paw on her right breast..." Naruto trailed off, distracted by the hint of a pink nipple that peeked out from the left. He groaned inwardly, the bastard had done that on purpose!

"Hn," Sasuke responded, running a hand through his hair and slipping on a rain coat.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked. He did not like how the ugly rain coat had spoiled his view.

"Leaving," Sasuke said, sounding pleased with himself.

This annoyed Naruto. One moment the bastard was telling him to forget what happened at the hot springs, and the other he was being an unbearable tease. And no, Naruto didn't think the Uchiha was oblivious to this fact.

His eyes followed the other man as he walked the few steps it took to the door. Naruto frowned at the retreating back. Did Sasuke think it was funny, baiting him like this? All he wanted was Sasuke to take him seriously, not put him in the same category as all the other idiots fawning all over him. He felt anger burn his insides at the thought. By resisting going into that tent the previous night, he had hoped Sasuke would have understood that. But it looked like he was taking this whole thing like it was a stupid game. After all, that was the only way the bastard could regain some control over this situation, wasn't it?

Naruto felt the anger hardening into determination. No way in _hell_ was he going to let the teme do that. He took a step forward, feeling the heat of the Kyuubi's chakra in his eyes.

"Teme. _Wait_."

**************

A/n : I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are read thrice, obsessed upon and generally make this author very happy. ^_^

Oh and agar tum isko padh sakte ho, then contact me dammit! We must stick together to avoid extinction.. that's it, im sorry for all the a/n's..


	12. Chapter 12

A/N : *ducks the rotten tomatoes* im sorry for not updating for so long. But lookie lookie – SMUT! Hehehe. Enjooooy. a big thank you to the darling wordslavewriter for beta-ing this.

Chapter 12:

Teme, _wait_."

Sasuke paused, his hand on the door knob. The dobe sounded angry. He smirked. Good. At long last, he had some sort of control.

Whether it was the mission, the hot springs or even the stupid god dammed tent when Naruto had decided not to come in. It was all the same. Did Naruto think this was a game? One moment professing love, the other treating this whole situation like it was a very complicated strategy mission. Sasuke hated it. He had had enough complication to last him a life time. He wanted things between him and Naruto to be simple and clear. And ever since he had returned to the village he had tried his hardest to make things go back to normal, but then the dobe had gone and done _This_.

So who could blame him for putting on that little show a minute ago? It had been irresistible. Neither Naruto nor Neji were being supporting team mates and Sasuke was angry. So what if he took advantage of the dobe's obvious weakness. How long could he take being bullied anyway? A little revenge was natural. It would give the stupid dobe a taste of his own medicine. He was sure the dreams that hadn't let him sleep the previous night was some sort of side effect of the Kyuubi's chakra.

Smirking, he turned around, a little surprised at how quickly the blue of Naruto's eyes had clouded over with that irritating red.

"What?" he said, raising an eyebrow. Sasuke knew that provoking Naruto was a childish thing to do, but he couldn't stop himself. He had always enjoyed seeing how large an effect even one word of his had on the blond. The dobe had always been his target. The only difference was that, this time, Naruto was actually the cause of his frustration.

"You're leaving already?" Naruto took a step towards him. The eyes were now a murkier red.

"You should really have more control over the Kyuubi, dobe." Sasuke said, " If your eyes turn red at the slightest provoca-"

"Slightest?" Naruto sounded disbelieving, taking another step towards him. Sasuke didn't budge.

"Yes, slightest." It wasn't as if he had paraded himself around naked…

"Do you have any idea what the Kyuubi is doing to me, you bastard?" Naruto snarled, now two feet away. "Every time I even smell you near, I have to physically stop myself from- "

Sasuke felt his hackles rise at the implication that he was the one being difficult here.

"How the fuck is any of that my fault Naruto?" Sasuke interrupted, his temper getting the better of him. " Am I supposed to agree with you just because _you_ think this is a good idea?'

" I didn't say that- "

"No, but you can't take no as an answer either, can you?" Sasuke snapped, wanting to put more distance between them, but refusing to give the dobe that satisfaction.

"You weren't saying no last night, bastard.' Naruto was glaring back.

Sasuke felt his anger mutate into rage. _How dare he –_

"So what then, this is just about sex?" Sasuke spat, "Then come on dobe, let's just fuck and get it over with."

Naruto widened his eyes and Sasuke knew he had hurt him. For a moment he fully expected Naruto to hit him, and he tensed, ready to defend himself. However Naruto did no such thing. Instead, the red in his eyes faded, his expression fierce and determined in the face of hurt.

"Is that what you think teme?" Naruto hands were curled into fists. "If this was just about sex Sasuke, I wouldn't have waited this long. I would have gotten it over with that day you were lying unconscious in my house." His eyes glinted, " Remember?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, hating the vulnerability that day brought back. He looked away, uncomfortable, realising they were a little close for comfort. The door knob pushed into the small of his back wasn't helping either. He wished Naruto would just be angry again. It was so much easier to hold on to his own that way.

"In case you haven't realised till now -" Naruto's voice was softer now and his eyes an azure blue. Sasuke was acutely aware of the heat pulsing between them as Naruto leaned into him. Shit. " I want to be _with_ you, teme. The only reason I didn't come into that tent is because I wanted you to understand that it wasn't only sex."

"I would prefer it if it was." Sasuke snapped, finding it increasingly difficult to remember why he was angry with the dobe when he could feel his breath on his lips.

The tempting mouth curved into a small smile, "Why?"

Sasuke stared at the other man. "What?"

Naruto didn't move back. "Well? You say that you don't want to give us a try and I'm asking you for a reason." He looked serious, as if he expected Sasuke to reply.

"I don't need to give you one." Sasuke said. He had had enough of this. No way was the dobe cornering him into an answer. He put both hands on Naruto's chest and pushed. Naruto didn't budge and Sasuke glared at him.

"Are we really going to go through this again?"

" We don't need to." Naruto said, looking annoyed. "Just give me an answer." He had pushed him into the doorknob again and Sasuke winced.

"No," he said stubbornly, knowing he sounded immature.

"Sasuke, look at me." Naruto sounded exasperated and patient at the same time, like a parent used to a difficult child.

"What?" Sasuke challenged, finding it difficult to meet the intense gaze of his best friend. He wondered how the hell he had let himself get into this in the first place. This was exactly the kind if situation he took great pains to avoid, and now he was trapped in it with the person he was the weakest against. Nothing good was going to come of this, Sasuke knew.

He felt that familiar hot breath on his face and he stifled a groan. Those lips were too close again, and a large part of him wanted to complain about the unfairness of it all. How was he supposed to fight, when half his brain could only focus on how those damn lips would look around his cock?

"Give me a reason. I deserve to know." Naruto murmured. His voice was husky, as if aware of the effect he was having on the other man.

Sasuke glared, determined not to give in, "I'm better off alone, all right? I don't want anyone and I don't _need_ anyone either, especially a dobe like you."

Naruto cocked an eyebrow, and Sasuke felt like punching him in the face. He was supposed to take him seriously, not act like he was saying something stupid.

"I see." Naruto said.

Sasuke sneered, "Good. Now back off."

Naruto shook his head. "Then why did you come looking for me that day?."

The moment those words were uttered Sasuke knew he had lost. Naruto was talking about the day he had broken into his apartment. The day he had decided to go looking for him because he hadn't seen him in a month. The day he had actually been worried about his best friend. The day that he had allowed himself one moment of weakness. And it was because of that one moment of weakness that they had reached this ridiculous sequence of events.. Oh kami, Sasuke realised, this is all my fault! If only he hadn't let curiosity get the better of himself. _If only he hadn't cared enough_… He felt his earlier anger twist his gut.

" I came because I wanted a sparring partner. That's all.' Sasuke said, his insides hurting now.

"Teme..." Naruto breathed. He was so close that Sasuke could feel the soft hair on his face tickle his own. Naruto leaned further in, so his mouth nudged his ear, only a millimeter away. Sasuke stiffened, feeling himself react to the contact.

".._You're a bad liar_."

The rumble of the voice made him groan and he couldn't find it in himself to argue. The pink lips were on his in a second and Sasuke didn't have the energy or will left in him to fight, either Naruto or himself..The hands on either side of him that had trapped him to the door now had a steely grip on his hip and hair as he was pulled closer to the warm body. A sliver of pleasure ran through him as their half hard erections ground together, the needy moan from Naruto only making him harder.

Sasuke took control of the kiss, pushing the screaming voice that was telling him to stop deep down inside. His mind went mercifully blank as he pushed his tongue into Naruto mouth, loving how the other man fought for control. Naruto tasted different, though the flavour of berries remained. It must be the toothpaste, Sasuke realised, his hands automatically slipping underneath the other's shirt.  
The muscle underneath his hand trembled and Sasuke pulled away from the kiss, panting as he looked Naruto in the eye. They weren't red, but they weren't blue either and Sasuke felt a little unease at how intensely they were trained on him.

He was saved from any awkwardness by Naruto capturing his lips again, the hand on his hip traveling downwards until it had a tight grip on his ass. Sasuke gasped as the mouth trailed downwards, teeth latching onto his neck. Naruto swung them around and in 2 steps Sasuke found himself falling backwards into the bed. Lips and teeth tortured his skin, hardly giving him time to react. He breathed heavily, not caring and desperate for more friction. They were now completely hard, and he was amazed, not embarrassed, at how little it took to get them like this. Whatever the reason, he needed some sort of release. Now.

Naruto must have read his mind because he felt determined fingers untie his obi and in a few seconds he felt hot humid air on his skin. A moment later a calloused hand enclosed his erection and Sasuke bit back a moan, the shot of pleasure at the action making him arch into the hold. He tried to reach for Naruto's pants but a steady grip stopped him.

"I'll do it," was the gruff reply in his ear and Sasuke knew something must have been wrong with him when the tone made him harder, if that were possible.

He heard a zipper being pulled down and he focused as Naruto pulled out his own length. It was tan and hard and thick and Sasuke moved automatically, sitting up to take it in his hand. But Naruto pushed him back down, giving him a small feral grin as he hovered over him on all fours.

" I told you I'll do it."

Sasuke frowned, "But-"

Naruto silenced him by kissing him on the lips and then straddled him. He pushed the blue kimono aside, his palm splaying over his chest. Sasuke heart beat faster as fingers went lower, brushing over his naval. His skin almost seared at the contact. What was happening to him?

"You don't know how much I've been -' Naruto stopped mid sentence and looked up at him. Sasuke eyes widened at the naked need and love in those eyes. There was no red. No Kyuubi. Only Naruto and Sasuke faltered. Panic flooded him, overwhelmed him. He shouldn't be doing this. He shouldn't lead Naruto on like this. He couldn't give him what he wanted.. He wasn't capable of it.. was he?  
"Argh! What the- " he exclaimed, as sharper than normal teeth encircled a nipple.

"Don't think so much teme," Naruto whispered, giving him a small smile.

"Naruto, I - " Sasuke wanted to say stop. But words failed him as Naruto shifted positions, squeezing their erections together. This time Sasuke couldn't prevent a moan from escaping him. His panic receded, overtaken by the deep satisfying pleasure curling inside him. He didn't want to think about anything else right now. He concentrated on the tongue teasing his right nipple and Sasuke gripped the blond hair tightly, unable to deny how much he was enjoying this. His other hand tried to remove Naruto's shirt but it was hard to considering the stupid dobe wasn't cooperating.

"Dobe - " he started, but the rest of the sentence dissipated as Naruto ground into him. It was almost painful, the way their arousals pressed into each other and Sasuke realised he hadn't been this turned out for a long time. Could the person you slept with make this much of a difference? Naruto now held both their cocks in his fist and Sasuke couldn't help but let out a breathless whimper. The grip would have made Sasuke wince had it not been for that fact that he was desperate. It was almost humiliating how easily he had given in.

When Naruto started rocking into him, Sasuke let his head fall back onto the pillow. He surrendered to the sensation as Naruto pumped their cocks in the same rhythm, his face burying in the crook of his neck. A mouth latched onto the spot his old seal was and Sasuke shifted, not liking the fact that those teeth were sharper than he remembered. He tightened the grip he had on the Naruto's hair as a warning and the teeth retracted a little, followed by a small flick of a tongue that Sasuke guessed was an apology.  
Stupid dobe, Sasuke thought.

He forced himself to relax, until the only thing he could feel was the building pleasure at the base of his spine and the only sound he could hear was harsh breaths of himself and the man above him. In a few minutes Sasuke felt the regular rhythm break. Into a fast, almost painful completion when Naruto bit into him a little too hard. But he was far too close to complain anymore. He just gripped blond hair tighter, feeling the addictive ecstasy sweep through him as he came.

Naruto collapsed onto him a second later, but for once the dobe didn't say anything. He was silent and still and Sasuke was grateful. They lay on the bed, gathering their breath. Sasuke didn't move, content with the weight he was supporting.

But then doubt returned, dark and heavy, like a thundershower on a summer day.

He wondered what exactly was going to happen now. What did Naruto think? Was he really serious about them together? Did he think Sasuke agreed with him now? _Did_ Sasuke agree with him? He tensed, Oh god. He didn't even know what he wanted anymore. The earlier panic engulfed him and Sasuke felt sick. He needed to get out of here.

As if reading him mind, Naruto rolled off him and Sasuke stood up, quickly gathering up his clothes. He turned around as he wiped off drying cum from his chest with an old rag. He then dressed, tying the obi around him tightly. He could feel the piercing gaze of the other man on his back and he glanced behind for a second.

Naruto was lying on his side, propped up on one elbow, watching him with an almost wistful expression on his face. Sasuke didn't say anything as he turned back around.

"You're going to the whore house now?" Naruto asked. His voice was calm but Sasuke detected the slight tremor, telling him that Naruto was unsure and nervous about what was happening. Sasuke didn't respond immediately , annoyed when a part of him was tempted to reassure the blond with at least some kind of answer.

"Hn" he said finally, pulling the rain coat on.

He was relieved when Naruto didn't say anything else. If he wasn't insisting on talking about what had just happened, then maybe he was willing to give Sasuke time to think. He needed to sort things out in his head. The main question being what exactly did he want for himself? He took a deep breath, trying to swallow the fear that swelled like a balloon in his throat. _What if he didn't have the answer Naruto wanted?_ Would they be able to survive something like that?

He grimaced as he walked towards the door, still aware of the eyes that followed him.

"Hey teme-" The words were quiet and Sasuke was surprised at how much the tone affected him. He paused, but didn't look back.

"-be careful."

"Dobe" Sasuke said, irritated at the genuine worry in Naruto's voice. His job was hardly dangerous, he thought as he slammed the door behind him. What was worrying him more was that he had some serious decisions to make. And he was afraid, more than ever now, of the consequences.

R&R please, it makes me happy.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N : This chapter is dedicated to everyone who reviewed. You people rock! :D

Chapter 13 :

Sasuke entered Hotel Kama through the bac, like he had been told, disappointed to find that there was no one waiting for him in the room. Just a few discarded boxes and chairs, nothing else. He had hoped that Tanaka san would already be there; he didn't want to have to deal with what had happened with Naruto. He needed a distraction to clear his head, not free time to brood. Sighing, he sat down on a dusty chair, wrinkling his nose when a roach crawled over his foot. He hoped the rest of the hotel was cleaner. The state of the room reminded him of his own house.

"You must be Uzumaki san!"

Sasuke looked up from inspecting the floor. Uzumaki san? Really, the dobe was such an insufferable idiot! Of all the cover names, he had to choose one that would annoy Sasuke the most.

The woman that greeted him had a thin smile on her face, like she was in great pain but was smiling anyway. The make up on her face, the tightly tied back blonde hair and the tattoo on her chest gave Sasuke the impression of an act, just like the smile. While usually such women irritated him, for some reason he found himself feeling sorry for her.

"Tanaka san." He said, nodding. He noticed that she wore a kimono that matched his, though hers was much shinier and more revealing, with pink rather than blue. He thanked god he hadn't had to wear that.

"Oh," she said, taking a step closer to scrutinize him. "Naruto didn't tell me you were such a looker!"

Sasuke wanted to wince. The dobe was first name basis with her already?

The woman blinked, "I didn't meant to be rude Uzumaki- san..."

"That's all right," Sasuke said, standing up to greet her. Tanaka Murami bowed and Sasuke did the same, feeling a little nostalgic at the formal behavior. The last time he had bothered to go through these motions was when he had been a child.

She smiled at him as she straightened, a genuine smile, which Sasuke appreciated.

"I must thank you for the help you are giving us, Tanaka- san."

" I am just doing my duty" she said, her eyes hardening. "Misakagawa Hoshi is a stain that must be removed if Rain is to prosper." Her face mellowed after she spoke and then she sighed, as if remembering who she was with.

"Come, young man. It is unhealthy to talk of such negative things when they serve no purpose. I will show you to your station."

Sasuke nodded, following her. Tanaka- san seemed to be an angry woman with a bitter past, but someone who loved her country. She was definitely not to be underestimated.

If the room he had just been in had been drab and dull, then the space he entered now was the opposite. He winced as bright light assaulted his senses, and it took a moment for Sasuke to get used to the site that greeted him. He had never seen so much red and gold in his whole life.

It hung from the windows in long rich drapes, from the chandelier that dominated the room, and even the lush carpet that Sasuke stood on was a deep maroon; flecked with the gold flowers that were identical to those on his kimono.

Prostitution being legal in rain, he had expected Hotel Kama to be unlike the dens in other countries, but the scale of this one surprised him. There were a smattering of people dressed like him around with brooms and trays, shouting instructions to each other. Huh, he mused, it looked like at least one industry was thriving in the country..

"This is the front desk, where you will be." Tanaka was watching his reaction closely.

"Thank you," he replied, going round and standing behind it. He had a perfect vantage point to see who was entering the main door on the right.

"We like to protect the privacy of clients," Tanaka said. "So we have a variety of ways to go to the rooms." She pointed to the left, where there were a number of doors at the end of the hall. That might pose a problem, Sasuke thought. He would have to ask for the plans to this place later.

"I've already given the plans to Naruto." She said, leaning closer, "I'm sure you've already seen them."

Sasuke nodded, wondering why Naruto hadn't mentioned that to him before. Were he and Neji still keeping information from him?

"The boy Misakagawa visits most often is called Yahiko. He is one our most expensive and prized possessions, I would appreciate that nothing happened to him."

"Of course, Tanaka- san," Sasuke said, reminding himself that a simple 'Hn' wouldn't be appropriate.

"You will be reporting to a Hayate Higari. Many of our employees are under the pay of Misakagawa, so be careful of Hayate- san. Otherwise, feel free to ask her for help."

Sasuke nodded again. "And if I want to contact you?"

The older woman blinked, "Do not. I cannot afford to be seen with you more than this time. I own this hotel Uzumaki san, it would be too suspicious."

"I see," Sasuke said, "But you are in contact with Naruto, aren't you?"

She nodded, "Any question can be communicated through him, understand?"

Sasuke inclined his head to say he understood, a little tense when he saw a young man approach them.

"Tanaka sama," the man said, giving Sasuke a cursory glance. "Yahiko kun is demanding more sake..."

Tanaka sighed, "Didn't I say give him whatever he wants?"

"Yahiko kun is already a little drunk," the man said, sounding annoyed. Sasuke hadn't seen that shade of pink hair on a man before. It was darker than Sakura's, but on a male, it seemed worse.

Tanaka massaged her lined forehead, sighing again. "I'll go talk to him." She gave Sasuke a small smile as she turned to leave, "Do your best Uzumaki san."

"I won't disappoint you, Tanaka-sama" Sasuke said, bowing as she left.

Relieved that the old woman had finally gone, Sasuke relaxed, ignoring the curious look the pink haired man was giving him.

"So you're the new guy, huh?" he said, leaning on the desk with both elbows.

Sasuke wanted to continue ignoring him, but he couldn't. He was was a professional and behaving like he normally did would be deterimental to the mission. He tried to recall what Naruto would say in a situation like this. The thought of relying on the dobe even when he wasn't there annoyed him, but he had no choice.

"Yeah. I'm -"

"Sasuke Uzumaki, I know" the man said, giving him a slow grin.

Hearing his name like that made Sasuke want to march up to where Naruto was and strangle him, but he plastered a smile on his face, or at least tried to.

"News travels fast around here..."

" 'Course. Ginta was really popular." As he spoke, his whole frame fidgeted, like his body found it difficult to contain all the energry inside him. "The girls will miss him," he confided, his eyes raking over Sasuke. "Though, once they see you that wont be for very long!" He laughed, his eyes crinkling in mirth.

"Right..." Sasuke said, uncomfortable. This man struck him as harmless, but peppy pink haired people were never on his ' pay attention to' list.

"I wish I had your job man," the man continued, oblivious. " 'You know why Ginta left?"

Sasuke shook his head. Why wasn't this person leaving? He wanted to look through the register before that Hayate woman arrived.

"This rich dude from Wind Country liked Ginta's _managerial_ skills - " He rolled his eyes at his own comment, continuing only when Sasuke responded with an"I see.".

Sasuke, however, was more intrested in looking beyond the man, to where a young woman was making her way towards them. Was that Hayate Higari?

" – Mangerial, Heh. As if. Ginta was such a slut. Not that I blame him. If I were him I would do the same. But none of these rich types bother looking at the cleaning staff, you know? - "

The woman was now close enough that Sasuke could see her face. She was quite pretty, he realised. Brown hair and dark eyes. Even the hideous kimono didn't hide her looks. Though from the irritated glare that she was focusing on them, he guessed she wasn't a very friendly person. Hn, he thought. Just the kind of person he would want as a partner. The less talking, the better.

" – but like they would _ever_ put me on the front desk. That old woman is such a shallow hag. Apparently I'm not pretty enough. Stupid bitch-"

-She looked around Sasuke's age, not older than 25. May be he could use her in the future-

" – Though the biggest bitch of all is your boss. Don't be fooled by her looks. I swear she's got a dick hiding underneath that kimono-"

Sasuke eye twitched when the young woman stood behind the pink haired man, the expression on her face furious.

" If I did have a dick, it would bigger than yours Sutra."

'Sutra', at least now Sasuke knew his name, jumped, raising both hands in front of his chest in a poor effort to ward off the woman's fury.

"Ah , boss! When did you come?"

The woman known as Hayate Higari ignored him, instead turning her glare on Sasuke. He was a little taken aback, not used to women giving him the evil eye.

"Are you the new guy?"

Sasuke nodded, "I'm-"

"Sasuke Uzumaki, I know," she interrupted. Sasuke was again amazed at how quickly news spread. "I must impress on you, Uzumaki san, that you have not made a very good first impression."

"Err," Sasuke said. He started to apologise, but Sutra beat him to it.

"It wasn't his fault boss- sama," he drawled, winking at Sasuke. "I was just giving him some gossip about Ginta."

"Gossip somewhere else," she snapped, shooing him away. "Has room 402 been cleaned?"

"Yeah yeah.. I'm going," he said, waving Sasuke goodbye as he left.

"Stupid pig," she muttered, adjusting her hair.

"I apologise for my behavior Hayate- san" Sasuke said, bowing a little.

Hayate snorted as she came behind the desk to stand to his left. "Yeah right. You think I don't know what pretty boys like you are like? One moment professing love, the other running away with another woman. Or in your case -" she gave him a up and down, " a man."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, the nerve of this -

She laughed at the look on his face, "What? you don't think I know about that blond you live with?"

" I wasn't aware it was public knowledge," he said, forcing himself to sound calm.

"The land lord's my uncle," she explained.

"Oh," he said. This was one really small town. Just the type he loathed, where everyone knew everyone. He would have to be very careful.

"And that kimono of yours doesn't hide everything." She said, the corner of her eyes crinkling in a tiny frown.

Sasuke froze as her gaze leveled on to his neck. Shit, he had thought he had tied his obi tight enough. One more reason to curse Naruto to hell and back.

"I have some ointment to cover it up," she said, bending to rummage underneath the desk. " It's not good for business to put love bites on show like that." She straightened to hand him a small bottle.

"Err, thanks," he said lamely, taking it. He smeared some liberally on his skin, looking in a mirror, that again, Hayate had provided. He thanked god that no one he knew could see him like this. i\It was humiliating enough to have a stranger point it out. The only saving grace was that the woman wasn't giving him a sly smile like he expected. Instead, she turned away and started flipping through the register.

"Since you're new," Hayate said, almost snatching the bottle back. "Your job will only be to escort the client to their rooms. The luggage man will know the way to the rooms, so no need to worry. "

Sasuke nodded, trying to take the superior brisk tone in his stride. Bieng ordered around like this was a new experience. Even his captains in Konoha spoke to him with some kind of respect. Out of fear, probably, but respect none the less.

"We respect our clients privacy so don't talk to them unless they speak to you first. When you are here -" his new boss gestured to the desk area, "- just leave everything to me. Understood?"

Sasuke nodded again, all too happy to let this woman do all the work.

"You don't seem very talkative," Hayate commented, peering at him.

"Er, it's just that this place is a little overwhelming." Sasuke said, trying to smile. Shit, he really had to try to be more social. If people didn't like him, then no one would talk to him, meaning no gossip and thus no information. Ugh, maybe Naruto should have taken this job after all.

"Oh?" she said. "It takes time to get used to, I suppose. But you have to keep a smile on your face at all times. We must do all that is necessary to welcome our clients."

"Right, I will try my hardest to fit in," Sasuke said, hoping he sounded authentic enough.

Hayate gave him a side long glance, "I hope so. Oh look, our first customer. Smile, Uzumaki san!"

"I hate this!" Naruto complained, falling back onto the bed. He craned his neck to make sure Sasuke, who was fixing his kimono in the bathroom, was listening. It had already been two weeks. Two whole boring, mind numbing weeks and they still had nothing. Misakagawa hadn't turned up, or he was turning up and they had no clue when and how.

He hadn't made any progress with Sasuke either, owing to the fact that the teme left in the evening and came back early morning, after which he promptly went to sleep. Naruto was tempted to bring up what had happened half a month ago, but he knew that Sasuke needed time. Besides, pushing him to make a decision before he was ready would back fire. It didn't stop Naruto from being in a sour mood though. Was he always going to have to be the mature one in their relationship? It was too much hard work. He groaned aloud.

"Do you really think _I'm_ enjoying this?" Sasuke finally said, appearing in the doorway.

"Hmph. At least you get to _do_ something. I'm stuck in this stupid room."

Sasuke sighed, "You can take my place any time."

"Hey, at least you get to be around people." Naruto said, wondering what Sasuke had to complain about.

"That's the worst part," Sasuke replied.

Naruto snorted, "Bastard. I've seen that girl you work with, she seems nice."

"Yeah right," he muttered.

Naruto grinned. He had been a little apprehensive about Sasuke being around so many pretty prostitutes, but it looked like he had been worried for nothing. His bastard-ness made it difficult for Naruto to imagine him reciprocating even a smile.

"Anyway," Naruto said, folding his hands behind his head, " You know what the real Misakagawa looks like right?"

"Hn. He hasn't turned up yet ."

"Yeah, even then, he's gotta be entering with different bodies. Tanaka san is going to give me the photographs of the 4 people you said have similar chakra signatures."

"..."

"And one of them has an appointment at 12 am today, ne?"

"Hn."

Naruto sat up, feeling a bit better. "So finally I can do something.."

Sasuke turned to look at him, eyes unreadable, "You're going to follow him?"

Naruto nodded, flexing his fingers. He couldn't wait for tonight, even with his frog training, stillness was a disease that always drove him crazy.

"Are you sending a frog?"

"Nah, I'm going myself"

"And Hyuuga?"

"He's lying low," Naruto said. "Why?"

Sasuke looked away, "No reason."

"Teme," Naruto began, starting to understand why the teme was asking so many questions. "You can't come with me."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, but didn't bother denying his motive. Naruto winced, sometimes he regretted knowing the bastard so well.

"And why not?" he asked. His face was impassive, but Naruto could detect the frustration behind the words.

"You already have a job." He said, trying to explain.

"Job?" Sasuke said, his fists curled, "You think escorting leching perverts to rooms is a _job?_"

Naruto felt a jolt of unpleasantness at the words. The slight jealousy he would have normally felt was amplified by the heat, tempting him to give in and not let Sasuke go to the whore house anymore.

"No one else is as good with chakra signature..." He forced himself to say, shifting, suddenly uncomfortable.

"Oh fuck that." Sasuke snapped, "Maybe I should just use my sharingan. That way I can spot him and kill him easy."

"He's not an amateur. And anyway, the sharingan may not even work," Naruto said, though he secretly agreed with him. Neji had specifically warned Sasuke not to use his sharingan, saying Misakagawa would recognize them immediately and make a run for it. If it were just him and the teme, they wouldn't have waited so long, but Neji was more cautious and more importantly, his captain. Naruto had to respect that.

"Hyuuga's an idiot," Sasuke said, scowling at no one in particular. He looked miserable, like his tolerance was near it's end.

"That's not fair," Naruto said. "Neji's our captain."

Sasuke focused his glare on him, "Whatever, dead last."

"Hey!" he protested, "I'm not having much fun either you know."

Sasuke's glower receded, and then he sighed, rubbing his fore head. Naruto counted the sigh to be the third in the last hour; the teme was really bieng expressive today.

"I don't think I can stand much more of it," he said, surprising Naruto with his declaration.

"Is it that bad?" Naruto asked softly, getting up from the bed. Seeing Sasuke so worn out made him want to hold him , to calm him. His admission meant that he trusted Naruto enough to show a little weakness, and Naruto wanted to show him how much he appreciated it. It had been so long since he had touched the teme, maybe he could make it better for the both of them?

Sasuke regarded him as he approached but didn't move away. Naruto understood what it implied. The teme was willing to be near him, he just didn't want to be pushed into anything further.

"Teme," Naruto breathed as he reached him, Sasuke's earthy scent flooding his senses. He felt relaxed already, his restlessness oozing away as he drew Sasuke closer. He was grateful when the teme didn't tense, it was soothing to just stay like that, sharing body heat; even a little contact made it so much better. He sighed into Sasuke's neck, almost melting when he felt hot breath fanning his skin.

"Naruto"

"Hmm?" Maybe Sasuke would allow him a small kiss?

"I – I have to leave..."

Sasuke may have tried to be gentle, but Naruto felt the spell around them crack with a harshness that made him wince. Stupid, stupid, Bastard!

"Right," Naruto managed, hurt and angry at the same time.

He just couldn't fathom why was Sasuke fighting it so hard. After all that they had been through together, why was he so fucking stubborn? Did the fact that it was this difficult mean that they were maybe not so compatible? Had he got it all wrong? He tightened the grip he had on Sasuke's hips, breathing in deeply, trying to clear his mind of doubt. The fear that coursed through his veins was frightening in itself. He was used to putting himself out there, but he had never needed someone so much.

"Dobe I-" Sasuke started.

"Don't," Naruto said, letting go of the grip he had on the teme's hips. Pity was the last thing he wanted.

Sasuke's silence made the lump in Naruto's throat more painful. Sometimes even he needed to be reassured. Why, for once, did the teme not make an effort to understand? He turned around and flopped face down on the bed, feeling eyes on his back. He hoped that Sasuke would say something, _anything,_ to make this situation better. To make Naruto feel like this was less than impossible, but Sasuke said nothing.

A moment later he heard a click as his best friend left, shutting the door behind him.

"You stupid bastard!" Naruto cursed.

"So, whaddya say? 30,000 yen enough?"

Sasuke's lips thinned. Oh how he wanted to bash this pig's face in.

"Like I've said time and time before, I'm _just _a receptionist."

The blond pot bellied man in front of him pouted,

"40,000 yen?"

Sasuke took a deep breath, calming himself. He told himself he should be used to this by now, after all, every second client, man or woman, had propositioned him from the first day itself. The first time it had happened, he had threatened to dismember the said client, but unfortunately his _boss sama_ had heard him and he was almost relieved of his duties. So he had resorted to glaring, which fortunately, worked just as well. Most of them stopped trying to buy him after 2 or three attempts, but _this man_. This man would just never give up.

"No, Ara san. Now please, either choose a girl or leave," he said through gritted teeth. He was in a foul mood anyway, especially with what had happened with the dobe. He was angry enough that Naruto's nearness had actually aroused him, but what was worse was that this realisation had scared him. Sasuke didn't know how else to explain his reaction. Why else would he run away like that? It was a thing to be ashamed off. Uchiha's _never_ ran away, he thought grimly. However he had gone and done just that.

Worse, the dobe had tried to hide his face, but Sasuke knew he had hurt him. And this fact made guilt sprout its claws, sharper than the anger he felt.

"San?" the blond man was scowling, "Aren't all guests _sama_, Sasuke _chan_?"

Sasuke's fists curled in at attempt not to strangle the excuse for a human being standing before him.

"Only when you give respect do you receive it in turn, Ara _san." _He said, plastering a smile on his face.

"Why you little shit!" he said, glaring at Sasuke. "I could have you fired in an instant. D'you even know who I am?"

Sasuke noticed that this man's hair was the exact same colour of Naruto's. He sneered, letting his temper get the better of him.

"An idiot?"

The blond man's eyes widened, shocked.

"How dare you- "

"_Uzumaki san_!" said a shrill feminine voice. Sasuke winced, great. Why did that woman always appear at the worst times!

"Apologise at once!" Hayate said, her face red in anger.

Sasuke had to dig his nails into his palm to stop himself from saying over my dead body. He was here for a _job _and he couldn't afford to mess it up by getting fired. God knows whether he would ever be allowed outside Konoha again.

"I apologise for my behavior, Ara san." He bowed deep enough so that the other man couldn't see the sneer on his face.

"It's Ara sama," the man corrected with a smug smile.

Sasuke closed his eyes, the anger bubbling inside him burning his insides.

"Ara- sama," he said, straightening. He glanced at Hayate who looked a little put out. Even she had to know this man was a jerk. He couldn't understand how she tolerated this everyday.

Apparently the man was not satisfied, "I apologise for my behaviors Ara sama _and_ I graciously accept your earlier offer; say it."

Sasuke stared, people's stupidity really astounded him sometimes.

"Say it," he repeated, sneering, "Or I get you fired."

"Ara sama!" Hayate protested.

Sasuke didn't hear her. His fist reacted like it had a mind of it's own. It connected with a loud crack of tissue and bone and Sasuke couldn't help but grin as the man tumbled to the floor.

"Ohmygrngh!" Blood was flowing down his fingers as he tried to stem the flow and Sasuke leaned forward, trying to get a better view. No punch had felt so satisfying in his life.

"Uzumaki san!" cried Hayate, "What have you done?" She rushed around to the fallen man with tissue.

"He deserved it." Some more help had arrived and two men assisted 'Ara sama' out of the hotel. He shouted obscenities all the way to the door but Sasuke ignored it. He wondered whether he really would be would have to somehow convince Tanaka san to let him stay.

Hayate returned to stand beside him, her kimono stained with red.

"Am I relieved of my duties?" he asked, handing her a piece if cloth to wipe the stains off.

She coloured a little and looked away, "I – I will have to talk to Tanaka sama about this."

"Oh."

"I am sorry I supported him." She said suddenly, "Sutra just told me he had been harassing you for days. If I had known I would never have-"

She looked up at him, her eyes watering, " I try and look out for my people. Why didn't you tell me about him? I usually don't let things like this happen…"

"Its all right," Sasuke muttered, trying to pacify her.

"No it's not-"

"The boy said it's all right, didn't he Hayate san?"

Both of them turned to the voice and Sasuke felt his heart stop. It couldn't be... but the features were all the same. The tall, broad frame, long dark purple hair, blue eyes – Hoshi Misakagawa, standing before him with an impatient expression, just like the picture in his Anbu file.

Reviews make me verrrrry happy. :D oh and yes, how many of you like Uchihacest?


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: people! i am not going to make this Uchihacest! i was just asking out of curiosity, so dont worry okay? lol.

**Chapter 14 :**

Naruto entered the hotel through the back, shuriken and weapons in place. Sasuke was waiting for him at their agreed rendezvous, an empty store room Tanaka san had said they could use.

"Finally, dobe," Sasuke said, wearing an impatient frown.

"I had to speak to Neji," Naruto replied, not hiding the irritation in his voice. He wasn't about to forgive Sasuke for being a total asshole earlier.

"So, what did the captain say?"

"My frog couldn't find him." Naruto didn't miss the clear sneer in the word 'captain.'

"Why not?"

"He's not at his apartment," Naruto defended. "Frogs aren't dogs, its not like they can sniff him out."

"Whatever the reason, I don't think we should wait." Sasuke looked at him pointedly.

Naruto made a noncommittal sound. Obviously the bastard wouldn't want to wait, he was an impatient bastard after all. But Naruto had to be objective here. He couldn't risk the lives of the people in the hotel just because he and Sasuke were frustrated and wanted in on some action.

"I don't know teme," Naruto said. "There are too many people here…"

"We can take him by surprise," Sasuke suggested. "I know the room he's in."

"If he uses the boy Yahiko as bait, what then?"

Sasuke's brow furrowed, "Waiting till Hyuuga gets your frog is a mistake."

"I didn't say we had to wait for Neji," Naruto said." I just don't think attacking him where there are chances for hostages is a good idea."

"Then we wait till he finishes, follow him, and kill him in an alley."

" It's only six thirty. It's too easy for a chakra expert like him to disappear into the crowds."

Sasuke folded his arms in front of his chest, "So you want to follow him to his home and kill him there?"

Naruto didn't answer. That did seem like the safest course of action as it eliminated any chance of civilian risk; But the longer they followed him, the greater chance of Misakagawa finding them out.

"We shouldn't give this man the chance to know we're here," Sasuke said, voicing Naruto's concern. "I may be okay at chakra recognition, but I'm no expert. There was a reason Hyuuga told me not to use my Sharingan. If he catches even a wisp of ninja chakra, he's gone and we lose our only chance."

Naruto glanced at Sasuke, not liking what he was implying.

"So what?" Naruto snapped, letting his earlier anger with Sasuke worsen his reaction. "You want to ambush him here, to hell with the boy he's with?"

Sasuke stared at him, the frown on his face deepening by a tiny crease.

"We're ninja, Naruto," he said softly. "Casualties are-"

"_Don't_," Naruto growled, glaring at the man standing opposite him. "I am not that kind of ninja."

Sasuke looked away and Naruto couldn't help but be disappointed and infuriated at the same time. He knew the teme didn't think like him, but he had hoped that maybe he had changed. That maybe he had rubbed off on the Uchiha.

"We are not -" Naruto said firmly, "- going to pointlessly risk the lives of innocent people. We are going to be doing this _my_way."

Sasuke didn't argue and Naruto quickly calmed down. The teme's silence was the sign of acceptance that he needed, never mind the fact that he was being scowled at. If Sasuke had really believed that ambushing Misakagawa here was the only way he would have continued to disagree.

" Right." Naruto said, refusing to smile and ease the tension, "You should get back to your job, teme. I'll send you a frog once I've located the house."

"And Hyuuga?"

Naruto didn't answer for a moment. He would have preferred it if Sasuke accompanied him; They worked well together, better than he and Neji did. He understood that being stuck with c rank missions inside Konoha for a whole year couldn't be much fun, but he couldn't disobey orders just because he empathised with the teme's plight. He would try and stick to the original plan as far as possible.

"If I get a reply, then Neji will be the one joining me." Naruto felt an inexplicable urge to apologise, but held down the impulse. They were both professionals here and the teme reacted badly to pity.

He was quiet, not blinking in the face of Sasuke's penetrating stare. If he was honest with himself, a dark part of him felt better about this afternoon by denying the teme something he wanted.

" I see," Sasuke finally said.

"Yeah..." Naruto muttered, fidgeting with his shuriken pouch when he realised that Sasuke was still staring at him. He looked like he wanted to say something but was holding himself teme was a miser with words, and while that annoyed him sometimes, Naruto had always liked the comfortable silences they shared. But when Sasuke had something to say, he rarely hesitated. So why was he doing it now? Naruto sighed, feeling suffocated in the tiny room. The silence reminded him just how much things had changed in the past few weeks.

They had come such a long way since Sasuke had returned. And now it was almost like they had traveled back in time;when things were awkward and uncomfortable. Back to when neither of them knew how to react to each other, when even an insult was weighed carefully being spoken. Naruto would have preferred a physical fight, at least that would have been less complicated.

He couldn't shake the niggling guilt at the back of his mind… he was the one who had started this hadn't he? He pursed his lips, though what else was he expected to do? However dramatic it sounded, it was his life that was on the line here.

"Anyway," Naruto said, turning. "I'm leaving. If you don't get the frog ..." he trailed off, not feeling like completing the sentence. It was better left unsaid.

"Hey dobe - "

Naruto paused, surprised when the words were closer than he remembered Sasuke being. A moment later he felt a warm body behind him, and Naruto stiffened.

_What the hell –_

Sasuke was barely touching him but he was close enough for Naruto to breath in his scent. Feeling him so close sent a tendril of pleasure up his spine. Naruto closed his eyes so he could concentrate, shivering at the sensation of the teme's breath on his skin. It burned him as it fanned over the back of his neck, heat instantly coiling around them, thickening the air. His pulse quickened when Sasuke moved closer, his chest gently pressing against Naruto's back. He heard Sasuke take in a deep slow breath, ruffling the hair on his nape. Shit.. was the teme smelling his _hair?_What the hell - had something happened after he had left in the afternoon?

The cold tip of a nose nudged his ear and Naruto stilled, the gesture so intimate that he was scared to believe it. What was the teme trying to tell him?

"What?" Naruto said gruffly, gripping the door knob tighter to stop himself from turning around.

Sasuke was quiet behind him and Naruto frowned. Wait a minute - was he being made fun of -

"Be careful."

There was a moment of silence before a combination of pleasure and surprise culminated into a snort. He could take insult at the words if he wanted to, but he didn't. Not when he realised that his words two weeks ago to Sasuke had just been thrown back at him. In a different, almost teasing manner, but in way that only the teme could say them.

With just two words, Sasuke had reminded him of how things between them should be. Natural and effortless, not strained and complicated.

Huh, so the bastard was more perceptive than Naruto had given him credit for.

"Teme," Naruto replied, grinning as he shut the door behind him.

Sasuke watched Naruto leave, grateful that he had not turned around to face him. He wasn't comfortable with the small smile on his face himself, let alone allowing the dobe to see it. He shook his head slightly, trying to clear it. He couldn't really pinpoint the reason behind what he had just done. All he understood was that whatever had happened in the past few weeks was becoming more complicated than anticipated.

Wait, he had anticipated this. It was the dobe's naivety that was leading to all the misunderstanding. The look on Naruto's face when he had walked into the store room had been sombre enough, and then the flare of temper while they were discussing mission plans; Sasuke knew it was because of him.

The stupid moron was probably over thinking everything, and making their already awkward situation worse. Even though Sasuke was furious about being left out of the mission, seeing the dobe brooding was something he could admit he was not fond of.

As one of the only people he cared for, Sasuke wanted Naruto to be happy. He wasn't very obvious about it, but the dobe always seemed like he understood anyway. Half the time he didn't know why Naruto liked being around him so much. He wasn't good company, that was for sure. Hell, he still didn't fully understand why Naruto never gave up on him, even after all those years.

However similar they were, and Sasuke wasn't blind to it, it was this difference in them that had always attracted him to the moron. The idea that he was rubbing off on the other man was sickening. It was in this whirlwind of confusion, as he watched the dobe turn to leave, that Sasuke had moved . He had instinctively known that Naruto would understand a physical reaction better than words .The moment he had touched him, as the muscles in Naruto's back rippled against his chest, he had felt warmth engulf him.

Naruto's presence calmed and excited him at the same time, a sensation he still wasn't used to. Spiky blond hair tickled his nose and Sasuke had breathed in, not realising what he had been doing until it was too late to stop.

In the end, however embarrassed he was now, Sasuke was positive that he had stopped the other man's sulking. He hadn't imagined the pleased grin in Naruto's voice as he left; but Sasuke remained a little disconcerted. In the past, when Naruto had felt down, like when Sakura had announced her engagement to Lee or when a mission had gone badly, he always offered to buy the dobe ramen. Now, however, it had reached another level of comfort, hadn't it?

_ A very different level._

Sasuke sighed, remembering the fruity, smoky smell of Naruto's hair. Did he use berry flavoured shampoo as well as toothpaste? What a moron, he thought, letting out a small laugh. He stopped abruptly, paling when he realised what he was day dreaming about.

Oh, fuck.

"Uzumaki san!"

"What is it?" Sasuke asked, leaning on the desk, feeling as bored as he sounded.

"You are supposed -", Hayate glared at him, " - to escort the guests to their rooms, not let Sutra do it!"

Sasuke turned, blinking down at his temporary boss. After her little show of weakness some time ago, she had resumed to be her normal gruff self, making sure to be extra hard on him. Sasuke was sure she was doing it to make up for her temporary slip earlier. He understood her a little too well.

"I'm still not in a mood after what happened," he said, making his best impression of upset. The only reason he wasn't escorting clients was so he didn't miss Naruto's frog. If it came, that is.

"I don't care,"she snapped. "If you aren't feeling up to it, you should just go home."

"Really?"

Hayate narrowed her eyes. "Yes, just go."

"Am I being fired?" Sasuke asked. Not that he cared much, really. If all went well, today was the last day he would be stepping foot in this god forsaken place. He still hadn't got used to being around people so much and it drained him more than he cared to admit. How the hell did the dobe find the energy to talk about so many stupid things ?

"Did I even use that word?" she said, disgruntled. "Just go home, okay? You look like shit. "

"Hn," Sasuke said. If he did look like shit, then it was Naruto's fault. He frowned, no, wait. This time, he was the one that was to blame. The dobe hadn't initiated anything in the store room. It was him who had gone to Naruto, and now it was him who had worsened the situation. _Great._

"Yeah," Hayate said, "Go home. I don't want you scaring away any more customers"

"I'll stay for a little while more," he said, giving her a strained smile.

"Why?" she said suspiciously, "I thought you hated this job."

Sasuke did some quick thinking, " I get paid by the hour and I really need the money. Why else would I agree to something like this?"

She contemplated him for a few seconds before shrugging,

"Leave when you want, then."

"Thank you, Hayate san," he said, bowing a little. After this mission, he promised himself he would go stay in the hills for a few days. Anything for some quiet.

"Yeah right," she muttered, walking away when she spotted Sutra come down the main staircase.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Sasuke went back to drumming his fingers on the desk top, hoping that the reason Naruto's frog hadn't found Hyuuga was because their captain had miraculously died of a heart attack the previous day.

_Where the fuck was Neji?_

Misakagawa had left Kama hotel ten minutes ago and Naruto was officially worried. His frog had returned once again to tell him that he couldn't find him. Had something happened ? The last time he had spoken to his captain was three days ago, when Neji had told him that he was going to try and find out some more about Misakagawa's dealings in Rain.

Waiting for Neji till the last minute would jeopardize this whole mission, Naruto knew that, but Neji wasn't someone who would just disappear without telling him either. There had to be a good reason for this, or worse, he had been hurt.

Naruto flicked his gaze to Misakagawa, who was around 10 feet ahead, ambling forward with a grace that he thought was admirable for a man as large as he. Naruto wasn't small by anyone's standards, but Misakagawa seemed at least 4 inches taller than him. His long hair swished and swayed behind him as he walked, and Naruto understood why he used body doubles so often. Misakagawa could be spotted a mile away, given that he stood a head taller than anyone else . Plus that purple hair was drawing a lot of attention, especially from women.

He seemed to know the villagers around since he had been greeted reverently by a few shop keepers. It made it more of a challenge to stay hidden, especially since Naruto wasn't someone who could blend into the crowd easily either. He was lucky it was drizzling, which meant his hooded coat hid his hair, and let him merge into the busy shopping crowds.

Naruto checked his wrist watch. 7 30. Another five minutes, and he was going to have to summon Sasuke. He suppressed a smile imagining the teme's reaction when he got the frog. This mission was turning out a lot more eventful than even he had planned.

Sasuke frowned, pulling the hood of his rain coat over his head. It didn't work as well as he hoped because the rain still seeped through the sides, trickling down the side of his neck before dampening his collar. It was an uncomfortable feeling, being dry and wet at the same time. The absence of his sword, which he had had to leave his sword at the apartment because it was too conspicuous, added to the general awkwardness he felt in his bulky coat and heavy boots.

He hated this kind of weather. It had been fine ten minutes ago, but the gentle drizzle had turned almost into a sheet of rain. The clouds blocked any chance of moon light so Sasuke depended on the street lamps to make sure he wasn't stepping in any deep puddles of slush. He was amazed that there were still so many people walking about, plodding through the market area like the rain was nothing. The only saving grace, Sasuke admitted, was that it wasn't too cold.

"Five more minutes, Uchiha."

The frog that had spoken was perched on his left shoulder, taking shelter under his rain coat. Sasuke couldn't help but twitch slightly as the frog shifted, coming a little too close to the bare skin of his neck. How Naruto could stand these things was lost on him.

When the ugly little thing had contacted him at the hotel, his first instinct had been to squash it. He had barely controlled himself, especially when the audacious frog had hopped on to his shoulder without his permission. He was grateful that he summoned snakes and not frogs, or even slugs.

"Naruto-sama said to wait in the alley just before the target's house. It's that one over there," the frog said and Sasuke nodded, spotting a large house looming ahead of him.

"The one that looks like a palace?" Sasuke asked, surprised. It was a little out of place in the squalor of tiny shops around. Misakagawa sure had guts to stand out so much when he was a wanted man.

He stepped into the alley, the people around barely giving him a second glance, too concerned with their daily chores. The rain made it difficult to see much, but Sasuke peered around the corner, taking in the blurred lights of the house that Misakagawa resided in.

He activated his sharingan, thinking that he was a safe distance away from their target to notice the chakra flare. The house was sprawled over at least an acre of land, perched on top of a gentle slope. Probably to save the it from flooding, he assumed. The building was more horizontal than vertical, and he noticed that the lights were on only in the middle of the house. Hn, he thought. The fact that most of it was deserted could be of some use.

The brush of moist skin across his neck reminded him he wasn't alone.

"Is Naruto going to meet me here?" Sasuke asked, retreating deeper into the alley.

"Yes. He went to survey the surrounding area."

"How long ago?" Sasuke asked, inspecting the alley. It was deserted, not even the customary tramp, owing to the fact that the alley didn't provide any cover from the rain, which had again reduced a drizzle. The inconsistency annoyed him.

"Fifteen minutes"

Sasuke didn't answer as he leaned against the alley wall, debating whether to ask the frog about Hyuuga. Even if Neji was a bastard, it wasn't usual for him to disappear like this. If something had indeed happened to him, that meant they would have to be extra careful –

"Teme, you're here."

Sasuke stood up straight, surprised to see Naruto standing a few feet away from him to his right, already inside the alley. How the hell hadn't he sensed him?

Naruto beckoned him closer and Sasuke nodded, his sharingan guiding him in the almost pitch black darkness.

"Surprised?" Naruto asked, a small amused grin on his face.

"You've improved chakra concealment," Sasuke said stiffly, still a little suspicious.

"Or maybe you aren't as good as you think." Naruto shot back, his eyes falling on the frog on his shoulder.

"Ah! Aoi-chan. Thanks," Naruto said. "You can go now."

"Thank God. Your Uchiha is no fun at all," the frog complained.

Sasuke rolled his eyes as Naruto sniggered, relieved when he felt a feather like sensation as the frog popped away. Naruto turned his gaze back to him and Sasuke realised that his eyes glinted red a little, explaining how the dobe could see in the dark.

"Did you find out anything?" Sasuke asked, unable to hide his impatience.

Naruto nodded, "I sent a clone inside the house. It has the least amount of chakra, so it's the safest."

"Security?"

"Not much." Naruto sounded a little worried, "Misakagawa is awful confident about his ability. Just two guards for the entire house."

"There have to be chakra detectors everywhere," Sasuke said, "I hope you were careful."

"'Course I was," Naruto said, annoyed his judgment was being questioned. " I just surveyed the grounds for a point of entry."

Sasuke was silent, waiting for Naruto to continue.

"The clone will tell me where Misakagawa's bedroom is," Naruto said. "Once we find that out, both of us go in. I'll be entering first."

"You - " Naruto emphasized the 'you' " - are to follow a half hour later, and wait outside his bedroom window, since that's going to be the only escape route once he's inside. I will be entering from inside the house. I'll get the job done with, and if I don't, the target will run to the window. You can take over if that happens."

Naruto finished speaking, almost daring Sasuke to argue. Sasuke didn't see the need to. It was a good enough plan. Simple, and with a low possibility for failiure. He again wondered whether to ask Naruto about Neji… but at that moment Naruto looked down to unclip his Anbu mask and Sasuke reconsidered. He would do that later.

"Yosh, everything's ready." Naruto said, looking up. "Now we just have to wait for my clone-" he stopped suddenly, a distant expression crossing his face . The clone had done its job, Sasuke assumed.

"You know which room it is?" he confirmed, as Naruto's expression sharpened again.

He nodded, "It's the third window from the left, second floor. It looks out into the back garden."

"We should enter the premises from the side," Naruto said. "The clone will dismantle chakra receptors there for the second that we'll need to jump the gates."

"I'll approach the house from above." Sasuke added, "The buildings around are close enough to each other."

"All right," Naruto agreed. " It might be hours before the target enters the room."

"I know," Sasuke said, quietly. The little bit of nervousness in his gut surprised him, but he supposed that after so long without a serious mission it was too be expected. Sasuke didn't look forward to the waiting; patience was a ninja virtue that he didn't have very much of. Both he and Naruto were unlike Kakashi in that sense. Preferring to act, rather than see how the situation develops. Oh well, at least it wasn't raining any more.

Sasuke leaned against the wall as Naruto walked past him, their gazes locking for a moment. Sasuke didn't look away, even if was tempted to, meeting the challenge in Naruto's stare with his own steady one. He didn't understand why everything between them turned into some kind of competition, but he would dammned if was going to blush and stare at his feet like a 12 year old girl.

The corners of Naruto's mouth twitched.

"Yosh! Let's go and kick some Akatsuki ass!" He said, flashing him a toothy smile, very visible even in the dark.

Sasuke couldn't help but respond, a small smirk creeping onto his face as Naruto turned away to leave.

"Be careful, dobe," he said just to be one up.

Naruto paused in mid step, almost like he was hesitating, before he whirled around, his eyes finding Sasuke's again.

Sasuke blinked, a familiar awkwardness sweeping through him at the intense gaze directed towards him. He had expected a snort and then a 'teme', like before. Not a serious looking Naruto walking back towards him. Hn, maybe twice in one day was once too many?

He raised an eyebrow when Naruto stood before him, refusing to let the dobe know how pinned down he felt when those eyes, tinged red in the dark, looked at him like so hungrily.

"What?" he said, the slight sneer in his voice betrayed his nervousness.

"Nothing," Naruto said softly, leaning forward. "Just this."

Sasuke saw it coming.

He could have dodged it, pushed him away, hit him, anything, but he didn't. Instead, he looked forward to it, closing his eyes as damp lips brushed against his own in a soft, gentle kiss. It was just a moment, a feather caress, and then those lips were gone.

Sasuke opened his eyes, suppressing a scowl when he realised that Naruto was grinning, looking a little too pleased with himself. Great, so he had just gone and embarrassed himself again. Worse, his hands were itching to grab the dobe and tell him that if they was going to kiss, then they better do it properly. But he caught himself, schooling his expression to a tiny frown. He was too objective not to realise that he was sending a whole hoard of mixed signals to Naruto.

The idiot didn't seem to mind much, because he was still smiling when he walked away, whispering a 'You be careful too, Sasuke-teme' before disappearing into the street.

Sasuke sighed. He really needed to exercise more control. Naruto was the one in heat, not him for God's sake. It was best not to complicate things, even though in reality he would have preferred to fuck Naruto into the nearest convenient surface. However sex meant giving in to his proposal; which Sasuke was loathe to do. It hovered over him like a bug that refused to go away and he was only too aware of the fact that he had stopped swatting it away a long time ago.

Maybe Naruto was right? Maybe they did need to talk this over. Especially since Sasuke still didn't have all the information about this 'heat' thing. Naruto hadn't been very forthcoming and two weeks ago he hadn't cared about information that didn't involve himself. But things had changed. The kiss a moment ago was clear proof of that. Naruto was Sasuke's friend, his best friend. The only thing missing between them before had been sexual intimacy, but that hurdle had been crossed, hadn't it? No matter which angle he looked at their situation in, life without the dobe was difficult to imagine.

_If Sasuke said no, would Naruto speak to him again…?_

The flash of a figure passing by on the main street distracted him . Wait a minute…He knew that person! He recognised the trademark swing of hips and the long flowing hair in an instant. He paused, his sharingan spinning to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

He wasn't.

It was Yahiko - the boy prostitute that Misakagawa visited often. The same boy whom Naruto didn't want to endanger by carrying out the mission at the hotel.

And he was heading straight for the target's house.

A/N : I hope you like. If not, well.. then tell me. ^_^


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Its me riddlestar, lol. I just had to change my id here for some very complicated and boring reasons. Which i dont want to annoy you with, so... read on!

Beta'd by the amazing Hanyou_elf

Chapter 15:

Naruto crouched in the darkness, hidden by a large couch. He was in the room next to Misakagawa's, his ears pressed against the wall in an effort to hear some more. It was now obvious that there was more than one person inside and he couldn't believe how unlucky he was. He could just imagine Sasuke telling him, "I told you so."

He couldn't hear exactly what was being said, just the baritones of the two men inside. Misakagawa, he guessed, was the angry low rumble. The other, much younger voice was an octave higher .It seemed like they were having an argument or maybe, Naruto mused, listening closely, a lover's tiff.

He gave up trying to understand what was being said and instead rested his back against the wall, legs folded underneath him. Oh well, at least there was only one more person in the room. He hadn't been able to see who this mystery person was because he had been hiding in here since time he entered the house, but considering that this extra person came very soon after himself, he was a hundred percent sure that Sasuke had seen him.

It was already past half an hour since Naruto had left the alley, so Sasuke should be outside on the ledge under Misakagawa's window right now. The teme and him really needed to discuss the change in plans; the same rules didn't apply any more. He hoped Sasuke understood that.

Naruto sighed softly, glancing at the tightly shut window of the room he was in. To go where Sasuke was, he would have no other option but to break the glass since the windows were screwed shut. No jutsu would be possible because Misakagawa was too close by. Naruto had even checked the other windows of the rooms that opened to the ledge outside and all of them were locked shut. His only other option was to leave the main building and go around the back...

Shit, for a supposedly easy mission, this was not going smoothly at all. Neji could have helped a lot right now, he thought. A third person would have made this much easier. He frowned, trying to ignore the stab of worry at the thought of his captain. Where the hell was he?

"Hey, Naruto."

Naruto acted on reflex, his kunai slashing the air where the voice had come from. He stopped the attack half way, the blade of his kunai dimpling the delicate skin of a throat. A very pale throat.

"Teme," he whispered, surprised and angry at the same time. Figured the bastard would disobey his orders...

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Sasuke bristled, whispering back. Even in the dark, Naruto could tell the other ninja was pleased that he had been able to sneak up on him. Pay back for the time in the alley, he gathered.

"I thought I told you to stay where you were."

"Those orders don't count any more," Sasuke said, nudging Naruto so there was enough space for the both of them behind the couch. Naruto shifted backwards, smothering the spark of excitement when he felt Sasuke so close. There were more important things for them to do now.

"Bastard. You should have waited for me."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, the one syllable was enough to tell Naruto that he disagreed with him. Naruto was tempted to lecture the teme about the benefits of listening to authority during a mission, which was him in this case, but he remained silent. They didn't have time to get into any petty arguments.

"We need to find a way to get that other person out of the room," Naruto began.

"I know who it is," Sasuke said softly, a small puff of breath tickling Naruto's nose as he spoke. "It's that whore, Yahiko, from the Hotel."

They had moved closer automatically but Naruto would have preferred if Sasuke kept some sort of distance. He also noticed that the teme had taken up most of the space, leaving him in a very cramped, uncomfortable position. Only when he kicked Sasuke in the shin did some leg room free up. Why did he love this selfish asshole again?

"Misakagawa's regular?"

"Hn."

Damn, Naruto thought. The only reason he had bothered with so much more time and energy was to save this kid from any risk and now events had conspired to bring the kid here. He waited for the expected _'we should have done things my way'_ comment from the man beside him, but he was surprised when Sasuke said nothing.

"Obviously they don't only have a professional relationship," Naruto observed, almost bemused that their mission had turned out so complicated. Sasuke didn't offer any opinion so they both lapsed into silence, listening to the quiet that had enveloped the other room. Only soft murmurs and low laughter drifted to them now, signaling that the argument was over .

Naruto didn't need to guess what they were doing. He tried not to reflect about it too much. The less he thought of their target as a normal human, the easier this would be. Even if he was a ninja, murdering people was not something he was a big fan of. So he continued to speak, trying to distract himself, "Should we wait and see if the kid leaves?"

He felt, rather than saw Sasuke shake his head. "No."

Naruto closed his eyes for a moment, understanding his partner's hurry." You think that Misakagawa knows we're here.."

"It's a possibility," Sasuke said slowly.

He had a point, Naruto had to admit. For one, why did this kid turn up exactly at this time? Could it be only a coincidence? Or had he been summoned by their target to make their job more difficult? But what worried Naruto the most was Neji's disappearance. Could he have been captured? Found out? Hurt? The questions in his mind made his anxiety sharpen to the point that it was painful.

"If this is a trap, don't you think Misakagawa would have asked for some back up?"

"He seems like a very confident man," Sasuke offered by way of explanation.

"Yeah, the house is pretty conspicuous…" Naruto chuckled, the conversation calming him. Even if Neji was hurt, he would get him back safely. After all, no one hurt his precious people.

"Not only that, he seems to know the locals well," Sasuke said slowly, "They're definitely on his pay roll and he only uses his disguises for the hotel."

"It's the place he's the most vulnerable," Naruto muttered to himself, shifting again. His knees bumped into Sasuke's as he did so and he relished the casual touch. It felt nice to sit so close to him and not be consumed by the overwhelming loss of self control he felt before. 'Course, he felt like jumping Sasuke even now, but the desire was not bubbling to the surface all the time.

He felt like it had settled deeper inside him, stronger than before, anchoring him and soothing him. Even if Sasuke was giving him the worse case of blue balls in history; these entire two weeks he hadn't felt the need to have sex with anyone else. Not even those hot women he saw go in and out of Kama Hotel... Did the fact that he was learning to control his heat mean he was getting closer to his goal?

"We need to go in now," Sasuke was saying, "We can't afford to wait any longer."

"So what d'you suggest we do?" Naruto asked, even if a plan was already forming in his mind. He still wanted to know what the teme thought, he sometimes did have good ideas.

"We should enter together, once those two are asleep."

Naruto nodded, not surprised that Sasuke was thinking along the same lines as him.

"But you come in from the window teme, I'll enter from the bedroom door."

Sasuke nodded his head his once, his hair making a small swish as he did so. The sound made Naruto grin and he was thankful that the teme hadn't noticed his expression.

"I'll try and get Yahiko away, he knows who I am so he'll be less frightened of me."

"All right, you get the kid away, I'll take care of Misakagawa."

"Hn."

Naruto knew it must be killing Sasuke to not be the one to get rid of their target, but this was the best chance they had. If Yahiko got spooked, it would ruin everything.

"Misakagawa may not let him go so easily," Naruto said, wincing when the silence in the other room was punctuated by a loud moan .

Naruto felt a little embarrassed as well as guilty that he was eavesdropping on a couple having sex. It was disconcerting to be forced to think of Misakagawa as something more than an just Akatsuki member that needed to be assassinated. In their line of work it was best to look at their targets as only that - targets. Not a living breathing person who had sex, not someone who they could relate to-

"We have no other choice," Sasuke interrupted his mulling coldly, "Negotiating is not an option. "

" I know that," Naruto said, annoyed that the teme had seen through him.

"We wait till they are asleep," Sasuke continued, his voice taking on the authoritative tone he used when he thought Naruto was being unreasonable.

Naruto didn't see why it was necessary, "I'm not arguing with you teme."

"Hn."

Kicking Sasuke's foot none too gently for the aggravating response, he said, "Bastard. You better get that kid out of there or else this whole plan is going to go to hell."

"We don't really have much of a plan..." Sasuke commented casually. He seemed amused , not worried.

"That's because there are only two of us. Shit! where the hell is Neji? D'you think he's hurt?"

"Maybe he went back to Konoha."

"Don't be an idiot," Naruto snapped, realising only a moment later that that was usually the raven's line. It almost made him smile.

"I'm just saying that no, I don't think he's hurt," Sasuke clarified, talking carefully, like he would to a irrational child.

"Then where the hell did he go?" Naruto's rash of anger worsened at the patronising tone.

"Misakagawa did turn up rather suddenly... Maybe Hyuuga's at his apartment right now."

Naruto didn't offer another alternative. He badly wanted to believe Sasuke, but it was obvious that even he didn't have much confidence in what he was saying.

Both men didn't speak for a while and Naruto concentrated on his breathing, trying to push any worry he had to the back of his mind. The moans and murmurs had stopped some time ago, the stillness allowing him to hear even Sasuke's steady breaths near him. He needed to be perfectly focused for the next few minutes, to gather his resources for what was to come. Killing was not in his nature, even if he was a ninja. If it was Neji who had come instead of Sasuke, his captain would have insisted on completing this part of the task.

He knew Sasuke wouldn't really mind either, but the teme had a point when he said that knowing Yahiko could make it easier to lure him away from his lover. At least he hoped it would be so.

"I should go," Sasuke muttered, so low that Naruto almost missed it.

"Yeah. How long will it take for you to reach the target?"

"Two minutes."

"Then we enter five minutes from now."

"Hn."

He felt, rather than saw Sasuke leave; the molecules of warmth that were trapped between their bodies dissipated as the raven left. It felt like he had left a vacuum in the space he had been, pulling the left over heat to it and leaving Naruto feeling cold.

He stood up after a few minutes, being extra careful not to knock down any furniture and adjusted his mask. Seventy-five more seconds to go...

*******

Sasuke stood outside the half open window, his eyes closed. There were no sounds coming from inside the room, just silence. It was an unnerving kind of quiet, again making him worry whether this was a trap.

He was a little uncomfortable that he wasn't going to be covering his face for this mission. Identity was everything for an ANBU ninja, but he had understood a long time ago that the village would never let him become an official ANBU member. They may allow him to complete an occasional mission, like this one, but his name would never join the ranks of his brother, or Naruto. He still felt bitter about this, however he was lucky that he never held much respect for official positions in the first place.

He was initially going to use a black cloth to cover his face, but Yahiko would never come quietly if faced with someone who looked like a thief. He rolled his shoulders to massage out the kinks, getting himself ready to enter. He glanced at his wrist watch.

Five seconds... four… three… two… one…

He slithered through the window, the lush carpet sighing as he landed. He couldn't sense Naruto but he knew he was there, hiding somewhere. He had to admit he was impressed by the dobe's concealment skill. He could remember the times when Naruto's chakra could be felt a mile away.

Sasuke made his way to the bed, spotting two figures covered in blankets. He padded towards the smaller figure, stopping beside what he assumed to be Yahiko. No one on the mattress moved and Sasuke was thankful. It wasn't going to so be easy in another few seconds. He inched closer, his fingers curling around Yahiko's arm as gently as possible. He wanted to knock the young boy out; but he couldn't reach his neck the way he was curled around the blankets. Oh well, at least he wasn't clinging to Misakagawa.

Sasuke glanced at their target, his form still and breathing steadily. Good. His tightened his grip over the thin arm and swiftly wrenched the light form away from the bed.

He knew something was wrong the moment Yahiko twisted in his grip, his arm slashing towards him. Sasuke jerked his head back, dodging the deadly looking knife in the boy's hand. He didn't let go of the arm, instead he crushed it with as much force as he could. Yahiko let out a harsh cry of pain and dropped the knife but still jerked and squirmed with the force of a fish forced out of water.

"The target ran into the bathroom!" Naruto called out to him, and Sasuke nodded as the blond disappeared through a door, confident that he would take care of it.

"Let me go you filthy piece of shit!"

Sasuke looked down at the scowling boy, frowning.

"Shut up," he said, manoeuvring the smaller body around and slicing his palm over the back of Yahiko's neck. The violent struggling didn't let him land an optimal blow but he figured that it was enough for the teenager. His captive went limp and Sasuke dropped him to the ground, worried that he couldn't hear Naruto.

He activated his Sharingan and switched on the lights, making sure to tie up Yahiko securely before dropping him on to the bed. He glanced at the boy with his Sharingan for a moment, studying his chakra just to double check. It didn't seem like anyone else but Yahiko, so he ignored the unease he felt and followed Naruto.

Sasuke peered into the bathroom, which almost as large as the bedroom, searching for Naruto. He didn't have to wait long before he heard a shout. He spotted Naruto running towards him with a limp Misakagawa thrown over his shoulder, pirate style.

It was the second sign something was wrong. Naruto did not treat dead bodies so casually, never mind if they were Akatsuki.

"It's not him!" Naruto bellowed. Sasuke didn't need to see his face to know that he was both furious and frustrated. A moment later the heavy body was tossed at him and Sasuke caught it with an _oof!_

"What're you doing dobe?" he snapped as Naruto ran past him back into the room.

"Fuck!" Naruto cursed.

Slowed down by the bulk of the body in his arms, Sasuke took a second longer to reach the bedroom, and he suddenly felt very much like cursing himself. There on the bed, where Yahiko should have been, were just a few loose ropes and a rumpled bed sheet.

What had happened suddenly struck him. The bastard had switched places with his lover! He couldn't believe they had been tricked so easily. He glanced at Naruto who was already crouched on the windowsill, his eyes flashing a dangerous red.

"You couldn't sense him, could you?" Naruto asked him.

Sasuke shook his head. So the rumours that not even Itachi had been able to tell Misakagawa apart in the crowd had been true... impossible.

"He couldn't have gotten far," Naruto said, his voice rough, like gravel. His chakra, furious and red, simmered under skin, enveloping him in an almost glow. The sight sent a slight shiver through Sasuke but he forced himself to shake it off, annoyed with his reaction.

Naruto shot off towards the ground and Sasuke moved to search the house. His Sharingan helped him move faster, but it wasn't the Byaakugan. He cursed Hyuuga for disappearing. This wouldn't have happened if there had been three of them. Luckily, Naruto's Kyuubi senses were good enough for tracking.

Sasuke hoped that he would be able to follow Misakagawa. Though their target could look like anyone right now; and going by how easily he had escaped the binds, it was probably a child. Lips thinning, Sasuke made his way through the house, moving as silently as possible, his Sharingan spinning as he searched corners.

Five minutes later, Sasuke was convinced that Misakagawa, even if he had run through the house, was now probably outside. A smart man would never corner himself within an enclosed space when dealing with people stronger than you. Sasuke exited through the main door, stopping when he spotted the butler cowering behind a pillar. His Sharingan didn't find anything suspicious about the man, just the same non-ninja chakra as Yahiko, but he couldn't trust that any more. He strode over to the butler, grabbing him by the collar.

"Let me go, you thief!" the man cried, petrified.

"Shut up," Sasuke snapped, grabbing the man's chin and forcing him to look at him.

He would have to use the Tsukiyomi to check. He was not going to make the same mistake twice. The illusion he showed the helpless butler was terrifying. So terrifying that he even felt a twinge of regret doing it. However it was only when people were scared to death, literally, that they released any jutsu they held. In Misakagawa's case, it was the chakra disguise. By the end of it, as the butler screamed and pleaded to be let go, Sasuke was a hundred percent it wasn't him.

He dropped the unconscious man on the floor, barely giving him a second glance. He frowned. How the hell were they going to find the target if they had to do this to every person they passed?

Sasuke jogged onto the grounds, taking deep breaths to calm himself. Their little mission had probably failed. Misakagawa could be anyone and anywhere. Without Hyuuga, they were going to have to call for backup, but the target would be far gone by then. He searched the grounds anyway, in a last ditch attempt to save the situation. However there was no sign of Naruto or the target. Great, so now the dobe had disappeared too, leaving the surroundings eerily empty and dark.

Feeling heavy with disappointment and anger, Sasuke made his way to their earlier meeting place, the alley. If Naruto hadn't had any luck with finding their target, then the best bet was to regroup and try again. Sasuke leapt the gates in one swoop, his shoes sinking in the wet mud as he landed. He looked around in the darkness, his eyes hoping for any kind of movement. The buildings and small shanties blocked his view so he decided to survey the area from the top. The altitude would give him a better view and the little bit of moon light would allow him to see much better. He decided against the Sharingan. It would be too easy for Misakagawa to sense him if was hiding nearby.

He let out a hiss of irritation when even the broadened view of three floors up didn't give him any kind of respite. The lamps on either side of the road illuminated just three feet around them, leaving the rest of the area in even more blackness.

It was only when he peered over the building which made up the wall of his destination alley that he spotted some movement. He could feel Naruto's familiar chakra but what worried him was that he could hear not one, but two voices. For a moment he hoped that it was Neji, but his instinct said otherwise.

As two people left the safety of the alley and walked onto the road, Sasuke watched, hidden, as Naruto threw a friendly arm over the second person's shoulder. Like it was the most natural thing to do.

Sasuke blinked to make sure he was seeing right. What the fuck was going on here?

The dobe was now whispering something in the other man's ear and laughing. In a rather disturbingly intimate gesture. Why the hell was the dobe so fucking happy? They had just failed their mission , hadn't they? Sasuke's fist clenched. Something wasn't right.

The second person's back was to him, but it was obviously someone the dobe knew . He was touching the other person with an easy familiarity that made Sasuke's stomach tighten in response. It was an alien emotion and he had to wrestle with himself to not to use the Sharingan. The dobe may be friendly but left physical contact only for his closest friends. The two figures suddenly passed under the lamp light and Sasuke squinted, desperate to know what exactly was going on.

What he saw drained the blood from his face.

And then flush.

In fury.

Naruto was walking... with someone that looked exactly like Sasuke.

***

With someone who even had the same hair. And as the lamp light revealed more of them, he saw his look-a-like had a dead weight slung over his shoulder. He didn't need his Sharingan to see that the body looked suspiciously like Misakagawa. And then his double did something unthinkable. He slipped his free hand around Naruto's waist, the one that wasn't holding the body, and pulled him closer. Much too close.

Sasuke felt a particular pain rip through him, a pungent mix of jealousy and hurt, when Naruto didn't pull away. He was so angry he didn't even register that he had admitted to being jealous. He just wanted to shout and yell at the dobe's stupidity. Couldn't he see that it wasn't him? That wasn't him, damnit! Naruto you moron!

Why wasn't the dobe attacking Misakagawa? Why was he letting him touch him? Sasuke would never do something like that in public, he would never - he would -

Shit!

He was overreacting...

And he needed to calm down. Okay, deep breaths, Uchiha. There has to be some rational explanation for this.

Sasuke unclenched his fists, forcing himself to listen to his voice of reason, letting it control his wild heart beat. He could not get carried away by emotion. He was on a mission and there was no place for feelings in such a situation.

At all.

He flexed his fingers, trying to release some of the tension in them, before berating himself for his momentary loss of control. It was disgraceful to give in to his weakness in a time like this. Promising to make up for it, Sasuke focused on following the two men, thanking his instincts that had made him shut off his Sharingan. If that look-a-like was Misakagawa, and Sasuke was a hundred percent sure he was, he would have spotted him the moment he had activated it.

He followed the pair from above, running over all the possible executable plans. His evil twin was much too close to Naruto for him to throw a kunai at without his Sharingan, so this was going to have to be close range. It was weird, Sasuke thought, to see Naruto with himself; almost like an out of body experience. He had to admit that they formed a formidable pair together. Any average person would be intimidated if they saw the two of them like that, hip to hip, shoulders grazing as they walked. Sasuke frowned...

Did they actually look good together?

He shook away the distraction as Naruto lead the way through the deserted streets, still a little disconcerted. He wondered whether the dobe actually thought that that was him. So far Misakagawa hadn't done anything suspicious enough. Sure, he had put his arm around the dobe's waist, something Sasuke would rather die than do in public... But he had been acting rather erratically these last few weeks… what if Naruto fell for it? Could he want Sasuke that badly?

He narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharpening further when he saw Naruto say something to Misakagawa. Sasuke saw his fake self nodding in a very odd, cooperative way before he seized Naruto's hand and entwined his fingers with the blond's. Sasuke froze for a whole second, fighting the instant angry sneer. Before it melted into a very smug smirk.

There was no way Naruto thought that was Sasuke after that.

No way in hell.

Holding hands? Who was Misakagawa kidding? Sasuke Uchiha did not hold hands. He may fuck, punch, bite, even kiss... but he did not hold hands. And Naruto Uzumaki knew that better than anyone.

Annoyed that he was being acted out so poorly -_did he really come across as such a fag?- _Sasuke leapt to the ground, the soft mud helping him land quietly. He was going to do this quickly and as painlessly as possible... at least try to. He didn't appreciate Akatsuki trash going around pretending to be him, and well... touching things that didn't belong to them.

*******************

Naruto sighed, feeling the abnormally cold fingers curling around his . If he shut his eyes really, really tight, and wished really, really hard, he could actually believe, for a sliver of a second, that this was Sasuke. And that he wasn't on a mission but on a vacation, a honeymoon, preferably. Yeah, near some hot springs, where it would be calm and quiet, just him and the teme...

But… but

Life was never that kind.

Even if he did somehow convince the bastard to be with him somewhat permanently, not even a drunk Sasuke would willingly concede to holding his hand. In public. Especially in public. Never mind that it was dead of night.

Naruto felt a bit guilty actually, for realising that it was Misakagawa a little late. When he had shot off towards the grounds, allowing the Kyuubi's senses to track Misakagawa, he had honestly believed that he might have let their target get away. However he had overestimated the target's fleeing capabilities. It was only a minute into his search that he had sensed another person hiding in the alley he and Sasuke had used before.

Chakra manipulation took a whole lot of chakra consumption and practice, especially near perfect copies, which were Misakagawa's specialty. Most of them couldn't fight to save their lives. They were even worse than medic ninja's.

Naruto assumed he must have been uncomfortably close to where Misakagawa was hiding. He must have given the ex-Akatsuki quite a scare, because it was him that came to Naruto, and not the other way around. It was logical on Misakagawa's part to decide to fight his enemy on terms that he was comfortable with. Their target's confidence in his ability worked against him on this day though, Naruto mulled.

He had become suspicious when the first thing 'Sasuke' had done was to smile at him. It felt so out of place that Naruto had stared in wonder trying to define exactly what was so wrong about the smile his partner had been giving him. But he had ignored his gut feeling, too relieved that they had finally caught Misakagawa. He did not like Sasuke beating him at things and finding their target before him, but he hated failing missions even more.

He was ashamed to admit that the moment he had believed the mission to be over, his first thought had been to finally getting Sasuke into bed again, without the mission spoiling the mood. He was even more ashamed to admit that he had forgotten about Neji... only for a minute, but he still felt terrible for being so selfish. He promised himself that he would make it up to their captain.

It was a little embarrassing that Misakagawa had picked up on his attraction to Sasuke in such little time, but he supposed it was a good thing. It was only because of his failed understanding of the situation that Naruto had become aware that the man beside him wasn't Sasuke. Yes a little late, but it wasn't like he was a chakra expert or anything.

When he had wondered about Neji aloud, the man beside him hadn't said anything but suddenly pulled him closer. Naruto had been shocked but also a little pleased. It was too hard to not try and believe that maybe Sasuke was trying to make him feel better. It was a few seconds before his brain had caught up with the fact that Sasuke didn't do those things. At least twice in one day.

To test his theory he had spoken more about Neji and then he had moved in for the kill. He had asked 'Sasuke' to hold his hand. And while the next few seconds had been played out in various romantic scenarios in his head, Naruto could honestly say he wasn't as disgusted with himself as he was now, willingly holding the hand of a murderer. Never mind that he looked like Sasuke.

The only reason he hadn't taken out his kunai and slit their target's throat was because he wanted to get information about their captain.. He had a feeling that Misakagawa knew where he was. The man was a little too confident about their situation to not know something.

He glanced at 'Sasuke' and was again, a little creeped out by the smile on his face. Man, no wonder the teme didn't smile that often... it was pretty comical to look at his friend's features when they were like that. He didn't know whether to laugh or stare in fascination when that perfect face turned to him in a gentle smile. A bubble of laughter scratched the back of his throat, threatening to swallow his self control. Okay, so there was something that doesn't suit the bastard...

Naruto grunted to cover his chortle, wait till Sakura-chan heard about this!

"What's the matter?" came a concerned voice.

"Ah, nothing. I'm just glad that it's over," Naruto smiled easily.

"Ah, of course. I was lucky to find him with my Sharingan."

Naruto nodded, amazed at this guy's brazen belief that he was actually going to get away with this. The moment they got out of the city limits, Naruto would attack. Open spaces gave him much more of a leverage and less people for their target to merge with.

He glanced at the body on Misakagawa's shoulder and wondered who it really was. He had no idea about chakra recognition, so for all he knew it may not even be a real person. He frowned, he hoped that Misakagawa hadn't killed anyone to get his hands on a body. But who was he kidding? Anyone who was willing to risk their lover's life to save his own hide was pathetic. Naruto couldn't believe he had actually contemplated showing mercy to this guy.

"Oh, good we've reached it," Naruto muttered under his breath as soon as they jumped the village gates.

"Reached whe-"

Naruto didn't give him time to finish the sentence. Even before their feet landed on the ground, he twisted and elbowed Misakagawa in the face. The man reeled backwards, losing his balance in a very un-Sasuke-like way. The body he was holding bounced on the wet earth and fell a few feet away.

Naruto narrowed his eyes, blinking to get used to the sight of a Sasuke who had fallen on his ass. However it was the mix of intense fear and hate currently on his face that threw him the most. Damn. The Uchiha would kill Misakagawa for just daring to form that expression.

Misakagawa inched backwards, scuttling away from Naruto on his hands and heels.

"I haven't killed you for only one reason," Naruto said slowly, advancing on his prey. "Where is Neji?"

The man, still in Sasuke's form sneered at him. Not the ones that Naruto was so used to, but a scared hateful sneer, like a non-repentant convict condemned to a life sentence.

"Why should I tell you?" he spat.

"Because if you don't, I'll kill you," Naruto snarled.

"You're going to do that anyway!" Misakagawa shouted. He was slowly turning back to his own form and Naruto clenched his fists in an effort to not punch the fucking smirk off that bastard's face. If he had hurt Neji he would -

"I may have already gotten rid of him ages ago."

"Why you rotten-" Naruto lunged for him. If Misakagawa didn't tell him, he would just make him tell him. No way was anything happening to his friends on his watch.

But before his fist could make contact, he felt fingers curling around his shirt and jerk him backwards.

"This isn't the way dobe."

Naruto shoved the raven backwards, furious that he had stopped him.

"What do you know, asshole?"

Sasuke frowned at the insult but didn't retaliate. Instead his eyes flicked from Misakagawa, who was sprawled on the wet grass wiping blood from his chin, to Naruto.

"We need to stay calm here..." he whispered.

Naruto knew he was right, and that made him angrier. Maybe it was easy for the emotionless Uchiha to pretend like Neji was fine, but it wasn't for him. If he had to beat the information out of Misakagawa, then he would.

"After all," Sasuke said loudly, stepping around Naruto and tilting his head at the man on the ground, "He might not even have Neji, right?"

Naruto was silent, cracking his knuckles in an effort to calm himself. Sasuke was looking at him expectantly and Naruto recognized the look in the cool black eyes. The calculating glint in his eyes usually meant he had a plan up his sleeve.

"Right..."

"Neji did say he would be late. Maybe he got new orders," Sasuke said casually.

" Yeah..." Naruto was starting to understand what the teme was trying to do. "There is no way that this guy-" he threw Misakagawa one of his own sneers, "-could get Neji."

"Should we kill him now or let the village researchers do it?" Sasuke asked, turning away from the man on the ground.

Naruto shrugged, "Dunno. Hokaga-sama did give us a choice. I say get over with it now."

"If you kill me you'll never know where he is!" Misakagawa shouted, fear raising the volume of his voice.

"Should I do it or will you?" Sasuke smirked, ignoring the outburst.

"I'm warning you!"

"You do it," Naruto said, studying his nails. "I don't want to waste my energy on him."

"I'm telling you, If you kill me, you'll never get your friend back!"

Sasuke suddenly turned to their victim, a ghost of a smile on his face, "Give us some proof that he's alive and then maybe we'll change our minds."

Naruto watched Misakagawa's face as he visibly swallowed, his Adams apple bobbing as his eyes flitted from the ground to Sasuke's face.

"D'you mean that?" Misakagawa asked, looking at Naruto and not Sasuke for confirmation.

Naruto pretended to think, playing the 'bad ninja' here was a little ironic. "I guess I could not kill you now, if you tell me."

Sasuke threw him a warning glare, "What the captain means is that we could work something out with our village."

Misakagawa looked doubtful but Naruto hoped they had scared him enough to take the bait.

"I don't believe you."

"Fine," Naruto said, nodding to Sasuke.

The teme responded with a very dutiful 'hai' and produced a kunai, twirling it around in his fingers as he approached the man on the ground.

"You would risk the life of your friend?" The man was sounded suspicious and scared at the same time.

"We're ninja," Naruto replied, giving Misakagawa a cold smile. "You were one too, right? Don't you remember? The success of a mission is more vital than individuals." He was getting a little nervous that their target still hadn't cracked. Shit, he really didn't want to kill this guy without any information about Neji. But it was a game of chicken in the end. And Sasuke and Naruto were the best at it.

"All right!" Misakagawa cried, "Stop! Stop!"

Sasuke paused, his kunai an inch away from the exposed throat. "So you'll tell us where he is?"

"Only if you spare me and promise me leniency in your village."

Naruto wanted to roll his eyes in his head. Leniency in the village? Like that was going to happen. These kinds of things weren't up to them. Misakagawa probably knew that but it was human nature to clutch at straws when desperate.

"Fine. I promise we won't kill you here, " Sasuke said smoothly.

"I'll tell you where he is only once we reach the village," said Misakagawa, defiant in his small victory.

Naruto narrowed his eyes, "So you can escape? No thanks, but I'd rather end it now."

"If I have no guarantee, why should I tell you anything?"

"Because if you don't," Naruto said, letting Kyuubi's chakra envelope him slightly. "I will rip you apart limb for limb."

Misakagawa widened his eyes. From the terror in them, Naruto guessed that he knew who the red chakra belonged to. Huh, so maybe the Kyuubi was useful from time to time.

"Naruto here has some influence in the village," Sasuke said, "He could help you with a reduced sentence."

Naruto didn't miss the way Sasuke purposely avoided his eyes when he said that. He'd thought that the bastard was grateful that he had gotten him only a few months in the jail cell, but apparently he resented him for that too. Bastard.

"I need some sort of guarantee.."

"You don't have any," Naruto snapped.

"The only guarantee you have is that you will live until we reach the village," Sasuke said softly, the kunai disappearing from his hand.

Misakagawa stared at the ground for a whole moment. Naruto didn't know whether he actually believed them, but it didn't matter. The only thing he had to believe was that they had no qualms about killing him without information about Neji. Trying to bargain for more time was the only choice he had. And he would only get time if he gave them Neji.

He started to get up and both ninja tensed, however Misakagawa just reached for the body double and muttered something under his breath.

The moment the body started to change into the figure of a very familiar _long-haired_ man, Naruto understood what had happened. Misakagawa had captured Neji, but he was too smart to kill him on the spot. An ANBU ninja could be a pretty decent hostage, so when Naruto had followed him he had first gone straight to pick up Neji and then morphed into Sasuke. It was a pretty good plan, unfortunately for him, he had messed with the wrong two ninja.

Naruto immediately grabbed Neji and kneeled over him, checking for a pulse.

"He's alive." he said to Sasuke, a few feet away.

Sasuke nodded, eyes flicking to Misakagawa. The large man was watching everything with trepidation, almost like he knew what was going to happen next. Both Sasuke and Naruto knew that they had lied and both men knew that they couldn't take Misakagawa to Konoha. They were here on an assassination, not a negotiation.

So Naruto looked away, the pin prick of guilt washed away by the overwhelming relief of seeing Neji safe and sound. He pushed the bangs away from his captains face, preferring to watch the peaceful expression on the man's face rather than what Sasuke was doing.

It took only a second, a twirl and slash of a kunai before their job was finished.

"I still have to get my sword before we leave," Sasuke said softly, wiping the kunai blade with a small black cloth.

Naruto nodded, "Burn any other evidence and meet me back here."

"And the body?"

Naruto closed his eyes, sighing. He didn't want to see the dead man on the ground. He didn't want to think about how they had tricked him, lied to him and then murdered him.

"Leave it. Tanaka-san said she wanted everyone to see."

Sasuke blinked owlishly at him, like he knew exactly what Naruto was thinking.

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" he asked.

"Yes," Naruto said, trying to sound as emotionless as possible. "We're ninja, right?" Unfortunately he ended up sounding unsure, even to himself.

Sasuke's expression crinkled into a tiny frown. "Right."

Naruto only relaxed when Sasuke teleported away to get his things, eyes automatically straying to Misakagawa's body. He couldn't help but feel sympathy, not for the dead Akatsuki, but for the poor child they had left back in the house. He had probably trusted this man, loved him, and in return he had been stabbed in the back .

It was ultimately for the boy, Yahiko, that Naruto heaved the body out of plain sight. No one wanted to see their dead loved one paraded on the streets, even if he was a wanted murderer. A quick jutsu later and the man was buried in a make shift grave, his robe covering the small mound. He knew he was disregarding Tanaka's and his own orders, but at least this way the boy Yahiko would be spared any more pain.

Grunting, Naruto turned around, surprised to see Sasuke standing quietly a few feet behind him; watching the tiny burial place with his face covered in shadow.

"How long have you been standing there?" Naruto demanded.

Sasuke moved his shoulders in a fraction of a shrug, looking away, "You'll never know."

"I hope you know that staring while someone digs a grave is considered creepy behaviour, teme," Naruto muttered, walking to where Neji was laying.

"Shut up, moron," Sasuke had already started moving towards the forest.

"Asshole, wait up!" Naruto struggled to hoist the larger Neji on his back, made more difficult by the fact that Sasuke wasn't helping.

"Move quicker then, dead last."

"Hey! I don't see you carrying an unconscious ninja on your back, bastard!"

"Hn."

Naruto detected the smirk in his friend's voice and sighed. The raven seemed unperturbed by what had just happened. Like slashing someone's throat was the most normal thing to do in the world. He shook his head slightly, knowing that his best friend wasn't as emotionless as he claimed to be. He understood exactly why Sasuke had preferred to go and collect his things alone after he had killed Misakagawa. Naruto only wished he could pretend as well as he did.

*****

A/N : Damn you plot! Why do you always get in the way of NarutoSasuke lurving? Hmph. Unfortunately none of them wanted to get down and durrty after just killing someone. XD

Anyways people, i apologise for the late update. The next chapter might be a while, I'm moving to the UK for grad school ... day after. Lol. But no fear, it shall arrive.. and with some smutty goodness. ^_^


	16. Chapter 16

A/N : This is the concluding chapter for this fic. Yes, it is long as shit, but I couldn't help it. Cutting it in two seemed wrong. This has also not been beta-d D8. So please forgive me my mistakes in true Christmas spirit, hehe. I apologise, once again, for my inexcusable delay in posting this. I hope that this chapter ( by that i mean SMUT, bwahaha), makes up for it.

Long A/N at the end!

ENJOY!

Chapter 16 :

2 days later :

Naruto sighed. Things _really_ hadn't turned out the way he had hoped. Their mission had come close to a near fatal disaster, they had almost lost Neji _and _ the two weeks alone with Sasuke hadn't solved things between them the way he had expected.

Things weren't all bad, he had to admit. However much Sasuke wanted to pretend that they hadn't spent the last month dancing around each other in a poor imitation of a mating ritual, he couldn't deny facts. He couldn't deny the time at Hotel Kama, for instance. Naruto was pretty sure that smelling your partners hair didn't count as normal moral boosting behaviour among ninjas.

He snorted at the memory, earning a raised eye brow from his companion.

"What?" Naruto defended.

Sasuke didn't reply, seemingly content to walk just a little bit ahead of him, his hands stuffed deep in his pockets. They were now only half a day away from Konoha, both men deciding that walking along the road would be much easier when they had a dead weight ninja to carry along. The drug that Neji had ingested made him so groggy that he still didn't have the energy to travel for more than a few hours.

For the past two days Naruto had mainly looked after their captain while Sasuke just rolled his eyes and made his bored expression when he was asked do anything other than collect fire wood.

Naruto had contemplated talking to Sasuke about their little situation but decided against it. Just sitting close to the teme was good enough for the moment. There was no mood killer worse than a sick companion and spending energy on anything but worrying about his health had just felt...wrong. At least to Naruto. He didn't think Sasuke was very concerned about Neji's health. He had even spied the teme using Neji's back as support as he lay unconscious to scribble notes in his mission note pad.

And now there were almost home .

An uneasy rumble in his gut told him that waiting was not getting him anywhere. Time and silence would just let Sasuke rationalise and compartmentalise what had happened between them, which would spell disaster for Naruto.

"Hey teme," he ventured, "wait up for a moment."

Sasuke paused and turned to regard him, his eyes glassy and vacant. Like they could reflect anything back, both outward and inward. Naruto forced himself not to react to that look. He hated how easily Sasuke could shut himself off from the world, how easily Sasuke could shut himself off from _him, _even after all they had been through.

"..."

"Don't you think we should talk-"

"No."

It was only years of experience and patience that helped Naruto ignore Sasuke's easy dismissal.

"I really think we should discuss-"

Sasuke started walking quicker and Naruto kept pace. "Avoiding the issue won't make it go away," he said, louder.

"..."

"You're acting like a child." Naruto tried to grab Sasuke's sleeve to get him to slow down but he was shrugged off.

"Hn."

"Hn is not the answer to everything."

"..."

"This is important-" Naruto tried again, sweating with the effort to keep up with the teme.

"Shut _up_."

The words wouldn't usually surprise Naruto, it was the way that they were said that clued him in that something wasn't right. It wasn't the bored, superior shut up but the weary, angry, frustrated shut up. Naruto got those only after several hours of pestering Sasuke and he had barely spoken four sentences.

"Hey, teme," Naruto said, softer this time. " Did you see me with Misakagawa?"

It was the tiniest of pauses but Naruto caught it. The way Sasuke's shoulders went rigid for a second, then the teme was back to striding away, pretending like he hadn't heard what the blond had said.

Naruto wanted to force Sasuke to just stand still and talk to him, but he let him run away from him for the moment. He didn't know why he had brought that up himself, but it was something he had been curious about. Sasuke had turned up just seconds after they had left Rain gates, so he _had _to have been following them for quite a while.

Naruto just wasn't sure for how long Sasuke had been following Misakagawa and him. Going by Sasuke's reaction however, he thought, grinning, the teme had definitely seen them together. And had not liked it. Pleased with his catch, Naruto put on a burst of speed, Neji bouncing awkwardly behind him, slowing down only when he overtook the other man and then swivelled around to face him.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes but said nothing.

"You did see us, didn't you?"

"So?"

Naruto picked his words carefully.

"Didn't we look great together?"

"Misakagawa was impersonating _me_."

"Exactly."

"..."

"Especially the holding hands bit." Naruto continued, grinning at the slowly darkening face of the raven, "You know, for a moment I actually wished that it was real-"

" How long was it before you knew it wasn't me?" Sasuke interrupted.

"What?" Naruto started, taken aback by the sudden question.

"Well?"

Naruto paused, surprised at the flash of anger in other man's eyes. If he didn't know any better he would say that Sasuke sounded jealous. But that was...absurd.

"For pretty much the whole time," he said, scratching the back of his head and laughing. Yes, he was a shitty liar but a truthful answer might get him into trouble.

Unfortunately, Sasuke wasn't fooled. Instead, his gaze sharpened, leaving Naruto red faced. Damn the teme for turning the conversation to his advantage!

"Be. More. specific." Sasuke said, his lips thinning.

"How does it matter?" Naruto replied, grinning and turning . "What matters is that we're all safe and sound and almost home."

Warm fingers curled around his elbow, preventing him from walking away and Naruto grimaced. He did not like dealing with this kind of Uchiha, but a part of him couldn't help feel gratified that the teme actually cared enough to ask. That he cared enough to be jealous.

Not that he would ever tell the Bastard that.

"Be careful teme, I might drop Neji."

Sasuke's lips curled, "You didn't know it wasn't me, did you?"

Naruto forced himself to face the taller man, silent, suddenly aware of the emotion hidden behind those words. To ask a question like that meant Sasuke had acknowledged, at least a little, how much Naruto meant to him.

"Not immediately, no." Naruto finally said, un sticking his throat.

Sasuke turned his head away, "Hn."

"But I guessed soon after," he corrected, panicked that the glassy vacant look was sliding over the teme's eyes again, like curtains after a show.

"Really." It was back to disinterested again.

"I'm sorry teme."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "Why are you apologising? A moron like you couldn't possibly be capable of seeing through Misakagawa's illusion."

"I know that's not why you're mad."

"I'm not-" Sasuke sneered, "-_mad_"

"I would be too!" Naruto said, his pitch higher in an effort to stop Sasuke from shutting him out. "If I found out that my best friend couldn't tell me apart from a copy even after talking to me-"

"Shut up."

"Teme, it's all right to be mad."

"I'm not."

"But I can tell-"

"I'm _not.__"_

_"_But-"

"Shut up!"

"_Sasuke __–__ mmph__"_

The teme was kissing him. Or at least that's what Naruto liked to believe. The force and the brutality behind the kiss made him suspect that the teme was just shutting him up but it was good enough for him. He parted his lips and a hot tongue entered immediately, running across his teeth for a moment before delving deeper. Fingers curled around his biceps to jerk him closer and Naruto swallowed a moan. The intensity of the kiss was punishing . So intense that he was even a little worried for Sasuke, but it felt so good he just leaned in, ignoring his own very awkward position. He was tempted to grab Sasuke and drag him off into the forest but both his hands were currently occupied holding Neji piggy back. Naruto was sure their captain would have bruises on his thighs, he was clutching them so hard.

When Sasuke did pull away, he did so with a gasp, both men sucking in the oxygen needed to clear their minds. Naruto couldn't help but grin at the raven, not very surprised at the almost ashamed expression on his face. He knew that Sasuke hated any outward show of emotion and what best an expression of emotion than a heated kiss?

One that _he_ initiated.

_There__'__s nowhere to hide now, teme. _

"Erm, we still have time to, you know..." Naruto said, eyes not moving from Sasuke's form. God knew what was going on in the other man's mind but he couldn't let this opportunity go to waste. The want and longing was returning, making his bones ache in anticipation. He was so _close _ he could feel it under his skin, burning. He took a step towards Sasuke and glanced towards the trees.

Sasuke didn't even need to look him in the face to guess what he was thinking. "You want to do it in a forest..."

Naruto would have shrugged if Neji hadn't been so damn heavy.

"Why not?"

Sasuke's gaze swept upwards from the ground, pinning him where he stood. The dark eyes were shining in what Naruto knew was lust. Lust and apprehension.

"You really are a dobe," Sasuke voice was bland, a contrast to the predatory gleam in his stare. The challenge in those eyes made a rush of heat over whelm Naruto, like hot needles in his skin. The world around him blurred, his breath burning his throat and nose.. Thud thud thud, his pulse throbbed in his ears. Naruto could hear it, quickening one beat at time, anchoring him and exciting him, preparing him for what was to come. He could feel the familiar dryness on his cheeks as his scars stretched, the sudden sharpness of the colours around him, and yet those hypnotising black eyes hadn't moved an inch from his face, hadn't backed down.

His mind reeled at the implication. Was the teme really saying... yes?

His question was answered by an impatient "tsk". Sasuke marched the few steps between them and grabbed his collar.

"Err...Sasuke?" Naruto couldn't help but say when he was jerked forward. Oh, my, god, Naruto thought in a daze. Was Sasuke pulling him into the forest... to have _sex_?

"Shut up," was the sharp reply.

Naruto had to physically shake his head to clear it. This was going just the way he hoped it would... but then why did it suddenly feel wrong? Naruto, as much as he was loathe to admit it, was never completely sure of his best friend all the time. After all this was the same Sasuke Uchiha who had punched a hole right through his stomach. The same Sasuke Uchiha who wasn't above hurting the people he loved on purpose, especially when he thought he was growing too attached. But... but the last two weeks made Naruto hopeful. Maybe this was _it_...

Or maybe Sasuke was just being a bastard, like usual.

Naruto took a deep breath to calm himself, trying to dispel the haze of desire that was making his head heavy . Too heavy to even to lift his gaze from the curve of Sasuke's ass. He dug his nails into his palm, drawing blood, sighing in relief at the stab of pain that followed. He needed it to focus. There was something about the smug confidence in Sasuke's long strides that made him suspicious.

A part of him couldn't believe that after so long of wanting this, he was now nervous and second guessing himself but his instinct was warning him that Sasuke would never give in so easily. There had to be a catch.

"You can dump Hyuuga here. He'll be safe."

"Right," Naruto said, looking around at the canopy of trees above them.

Sasuke half turned, his bangs hiding the expression on his face,

"I thought you wanted this."

Naruto cursed how easily Sasuke could read him. "I do."

"..."

"I _do,__"_ Naruto repeated, gently lowering Neji on the ground behind some bushes.

"Right."

"I do." Naruto was amazed how calm he sounded.

Sasuke didn't believe it for a second,

"You're scared, aren't you?" The tone was taunting and not playful in the slightest.

Naruto straightened, the apprehension inside him spiking into fear at those words. He hated it when was so transparent.

"No," he snapped back, glaring, all pretences of control slipping. His temper flared to life and the teme's infuriating arrogance poured fuel into the fire. He clenched his fists in an effort to reign himself in, knowing that Kyuubi's infinite chakra was making it more difficult.

Sasuke folded his arms in front of his chest, his mouth curving in a small victorious smirk. He didn't look very surprised at Naruto's angry response, almost like he was expecting it. The Uchiha had smelt blood and was going after it.

"You're a bad liar."

Again, Naruto's own words were being thrown back at him and the memory they brought back – of heat and arousal – made him want to squirm.

"Shut up, teme."

Sasuke's eyes flittered to the ground, where Neji was lying, still unconscious. Then they crawled back to his face, like he knew exactly how the conversation was going to turn out and it was a waste of time to continue.

"Is that all dobe?" A tilt of the neck followed the infuriating statement.

Naruto dug his nails into skin for the second time in 10 minutes. _Deep breaths, Uzumaki_, _deep breaths. _ "You're a bastard, you know that?"

Sasuke didn't reply for a moment.

"Tell me Naruto, what happens if I say no?"

_I__'__ll push you to ground and make sure you end up begging me for it._

"What d'you mean?"

Sasuke was merciless, almost like he could sense what Naruto was thinking. "You know exactly what I mean."

" I don't." Naruto was as good at being stubborn. Never mind the fear that was wrapping it's cold fingers around his insides.

"What _happens_ if I refuse to form any kind of _commitment_," Sasuke said, pronouncing each word slowly.

Naruto was tempted to slam Sasuke into the nearest tree and growl, '_you won__'__t be doing any such thing_', but instead, he smiled.

"If you say no, I'll just have to find somebody else." It took all his will not to fidget and give his lie away.

"That's all?" Sasuke was sceptical.

"That's all." Naruto shrugged.

"Did I mention you're a bad liar, dobe?"

Naruto glared at the smirking man, "Think whatever you want."

Sasuke smirk fell, all traces of sardonic humour disappearing from his eyes. "Tell me the truth, Naruto." He took a step towards him but Naruto remained defiant.

"I have."

Sasuke took a deep breath. He looked like he was trying very hard to control himself from hitting him.

"You have not! How stupid d'you think I am?"

"D'you really want to know?" Naruto snapped, not liking how cornered he felt. He couldn't tell Sasuke the truth. Not now, maybe not ever. If he told him that his life was on the line here, everything would be ruined. He did _not_ want Sasuke to say yes out of obligation. The teme would forever resent him for forcing him into a relationship and he didn't want to live like that. It was a recipe for disaster, he knew that much.

"Tell me the truth."

Naruto scoffed, "Whatever teme."

He was starting to realise that Sasuke had had no intention of sleeping with him when he had brought him here. All he had wanted was to get more information out of Naruto, and maybe start a fight so serious that he would make sure to cancel out whatever progress they had made these two weeks. Stupid, manipulating Bastard!

"Don't dismiss me like that," Sasuke hissed.

"I know what you're doing, you know" Naruto replied, the painful anger in his throat ballooning out the bitter words.

Sasuke eyes narrowed to slits, "And _what_ exactly do you think I'm doing?" The tone should have warned Naruto to say nothing, but they left him before he could stop himself.

"You're just using this as an excuse to ruin what we have." He said, glaring, "_You __'__re_ the one who's scared, teme."

Sasuke stopped advancing towards him, almost like Naruto's words had surprised him. Then he was walking again, the space between them being swallowed up by furious strides.

"Ruin what we have?" He sneered."And what exactly do we have ,_Na-_ru-_to_?" Sasuke asked, now toe to toe with him.

Naruto's eyes almost crossed in an effort to focus on the teme's face, they were that close. He knew that Sasuke was trying to intimidate him and it pissed him off that Sasuke would even think that would work. All the close contact was doing was reminding him how those pink lips tasted. It was frightening, Naruto observed, what a volatile mix fear, lust and anger were. They swivelled around inside him a potent mix, robbing him of rational thought and he took a step back in reflex, to escape the debilitating effect Sasuke's presence had on him. But the teme was a bastard, so he closed the distance between them again, determined to undermine whatever shred of control Naruto still nursed.

The rough bark of a tree stopped Naruto's retreat and he cursed, praying that both of them would get out of this situation intact. Sauske was pushing for a confrontation but he didn't want to give the teme the satisfaction of seeing their relationship implode around them. Just like the raven had predicted. So he clamped down on the overwhelming instinct to push the bastard backwards and settled on glaring back at the coal black eyes that burned as they narrowed. If Sasuke was confused as to why Naruto wasn't pushing him back, he didn't show it.

Naruto looked away , concentrating on the scent on Sasuke's skin. It calmed him, he realised belatedly. The bastard who wound him tighter than any living person on this earth also calmed him. He would have laughed at the contradiction, if it wasn't for the fact that said bastard was currently responsible for trapping him against a tree. Naruto struggled to control his conflicting emotions, trying to dig beneath his fierce pride and hurt. He understood at how critical a moment they were. He understood that Sasuke was not going to be the one to pull them out of this downward spiral, it was going to have to be him.

And he was at a loss.

It was both of them, both their egos and stubborn streaks, that was the reason they were here in this moment. In a forest, arguing and fighting, instead of having the best sex of their life. He wanted to tell the teme that he loved him, that he probably always had and living life without him around would just seem...empty. That what they had was something people rarely found. That it shouldn't be this difficult, that they were soul mates...

But he couldn't. Because words seemed hollow compared the ache and longing inside him . Sasuke would sneer at the cheesy lines and would probably shut him out forever. Naruto had no doubt that many people had the same thing to the Uchiha, trying to lure him into something permanent. It hadn't worked, had it?

Naruto found himself sighing, unable to speak, his right hand coming up to rub his eyes, to shield them from the arrogant ones boring into him.

"You have nothing to say, do you?" Sasuke sounded bitter.

"You'll probably just laugh." Naruto mumbled, his hand fell to his side, limp.

"Since when has that ever stopped you, dobe?"

Naruto's head snapped up, startled at dark humour in the other man's voice. Sasuke's eyes were hot and consuming and looking away was like trying to step out of a puddle of tar. It was amazing, how in the sheerest of instants, the waves of tension between them could tip and re orient. It was discomfiting how quickly the atmosphere changed, how just a few words form Sasuke could remind him just how much he was in love with the man, and how stupid they both were for being so pig headed and stubborn. Naruto chuckled, breathing in the sweaty, earthy scent of his partner.

"So you actually like the cheesy love confessions, huh teme?"

It was only much later that he would remember that he had said 'love' and marvel at how well the teme handled it.

"That's not what I meant," Sasuke said quickly, his eyes widening a fraction in alarm.

Naruto sensed the change in flow of his chakra that meant the teme was going to step back but his hands shot forward, encircling the narrow hips, pulling the raven until he was pressed up against him. He swallowed a helpless groan at the contact, still awed at how much he needed the person in front of him. His body moved on its own, wanting to feel more, to breath more. He nuzzled the pale neck, his arms moving upwards from the angular hips until he was embracing the other man. Sasuke's scent was addictive, mixing with the smell of the forest and earth until he couldn't tell which was which.

Naruto sighed in pleasure, how could he have resisted this for so long?

Sasuke didn't pull away when he felt a warm nose at the crook of his neck, the idiot wasn't doing anything but just holding him. He felt he should sneer at the sentimentality but he couldn't. Instead he felt himself responding to the close contact, or more accurately, he felt his cock responding.

Strands of blond hair tickled his face and he wrinkled his nose, arching his face upward to escape the soft ends of the hair and avoid sneezing. Naruto, who had almost moulded himself against the other man's still form took the slight tilt of the neck as an open invitation.

Sasuke let out a hiss as an inhumanly hot tongue slithered over his skin and his body jerked closer, closer to the burning heat that radiated from the blond. He didn't really know what had happened in the last few seconds. After all, he had had the upper hand hadn't he? He had brought the dobe here fully intent on dragging the truth out of the secretive idiot, not, like he had previously insinuated, to have sex.

However, like all things Naruto-related, Sasuke found himself losing. Losing to the inescapable attraction he felt and to the unavoidable emotion that gripped him when around him. Be it fury, lust or even lo...No Sasuke couldn't say it, couldn't even _think _ it. He couldn't...

A flash of Naruto when he had linked hands with Misakagawa made his insides clench. He knew it hadn't been only jealousy. He would be a coward to accept it as only that but Sasuke was still tempted to give in to the rationalisation. To give in to the terrified voice in him that was screaming at him to run away. He grit his teeth, partly to quell the moan that the tongue on his neck was coaxing out of him, and partly to steel himself for his next thought. Sasuke Uchiha was no fucking coward.

Naruto chose that moment to lean against him, pressing their half hard errections together.

"C'mon Sasuke," Naruto purred, breathing hot air onto the now damp skin of his throat.

In normal circumstances Sasuke would have stood his ground, but these were not normal circumstances. A part of him was still urging him to push the blond back, and the other, larger part was telling him to do the same thing ; push the blond back- into the tree- and devour him till there was nothing left. So he hesitated.

And Naruto knew that there were not going to be many opportunities like these. The Uchiha looked _unsure_. The demon inside rumbled in impatience and Naruto nudged his teme towards a comfortable looking patch of leaves on the ground, albeit a little gently. He knew that if he was too rough right now, Sasuke would lash out in reflex and that would be the end of this. He had to be careful, his mate, the word made him want to giggle, was a finicky bastard.

Sasuke let himself be pushed back, amazed that he didn't feel the need to automatically react, to defend. Naruto was looking at him, in that unwavering devoted way he always did, but the darkening colour of his eyes made Sasuke's heart beat faster. His eyes spoke of lust, love and need and Sasuke prayed that his own were not that transparent in his weakness.

When soft lips touched his own in an almost tentative nip, he knew that they were teetering on the tip of a dangerous cliff. The only problem was that he wasn't sure whether giving in to the howling desire inside him would save them, or push them both off the edge. One thing Sasuke was sure off was that he did not want to fall -

- and then he felt it, a coarse strong hand winding itself around his hip, while another snaked inside his shirt.

Naruto groaned, his hands trembling at the self control he was using. Sasuke's skin felt so warm and damp, the hardness of tense muscle under his fingers sending spikes of pleasure down his spine. He had had to grip the teme's hip to support himself. This was not good. If only skin on skin contact drove him insane, then how were they going to make this last long enough to do more?

He glanced up to look at the teme and his mouth went dry. The Uchiha's normally stoic face was still the same, except for the slight pant, but his eyes - Naruto gulped - his eyes were smouldering with a passion that he had never dreamed would one day be directed at him. His knees went weak. He would do anything for that gaze -

- A moment later Naruto felt chapped lips crush his own with a force that made him stumble backwards. He was shoved backwards into the tree hard enough to make him wince but then a tongue slipped inside his mouth and he all he could do was kiss hungrily back. The demon inside him roared with triumph. He had successfully lured his teme to him. _Now he just needed to make sure he never left_. Naruto grinned into the kiss and Sasuke finally pulled back, gulping air.

The raven realised he was already hard and he would have been embarrassed had it not been for the even more obvious errection that Naruto sported. It looked almost painful. Sasuke smirked at him,

"Do you really want me that badly dobe," he asked, leaning forward to remove the blond's shirt. He was stopped by a palm on his chest. He raised his eyebrow, trying to swat the hand away but Naruto shook his head.

"Let me, teme," he said, his voice raspy.

Naruto pushed himself from the tree, lifting his official anbu shirt up and over his head swiftly and then his hands were on Sasuke. He grabbed the two ends of the official jounin uniform and lifted, his eyes never leaving the surprised black ones looking down at him. Sasuke lifted both his arms, allowing Naruto to nudge him out of his shirt, mesmerised by the ripples in the blond's arms as he tossed the offending layer of clothing to the side.

Naruto trembled at the sight of the bare chest, the pink nipples and the hard planes of Sasuke's stomach making his arousal throb. His mouth hovered around the ravens for a second, before dipping down to the pale neck. He let his tongue explore the skin he was already intimately familiar with, loving how Sasuke unconsciously leaned into him. He would taunt him about that later. His teeth nipped and sucked on the flesh and Naruto gripped the other's waist tightly, grinding their errections together, eliciting the first moan from the body that was tormenting him. The demon inside growled. He needed more and he needed it right _now_. Rational thought was slowly being shredded into a million pieces.

Something inside him shifted. And suddenly Naruto felt a little odd, like the ground beneath had just jerked to the side but he had been left behind. All he knew now was he could not, in any circumstance, let his mate run away. He moved forward to get more room , his mouth closing in on the junction between neck and shoulder. He finally understood why he was so attracted to that part of the teme's body. This was where Sasuke's weak spot lay - something to exploit and manipulate. He let his tongue run gently along the very obvious mark he had put there, coaxing the body next to him to relax.

Sasuke hissed in pleasure as Naruto tongue tortured his skin. He didn't understand why in hell this felt so good, all he knew was that just a few experienced flicks of tongue and teeth were enough to disable him for at least a moment. Naruto used his advantage, reversing their positions almost instantly. Sasuke looked pissed, knowing that he had been somehow tricked. He opened his mouth to protest,

"_Naru-_nngh," Sasuke's head hit the tree trunk painfully as Naruto's lips collided with his in a quick, forceful kiss. Then the blond made his way downwards, pulling and teasing the skin on the neck again, before swirling his tongue around the nipples, tearing another moan from the pale man above him. Jeez, he was really stingy with those.

Grinning, Naruto knelt ,dipping his tongue into the teme's navel, forcing the hips that surged up back into the tree. He slowly pulled down the pants and boxers, the pale errection almost bouncing as it was released.

Naruto blinked at the impressive sight before him, not being able to stop the stray thought that wondered whose exactly was bigger. They seemed around the same size, but he decided he'd measure later. Right now, he had a job to do. Which was making sure that the stubborn Uchiha was not coherent enough to deny him, _anything. _ He let his tongue flick tentatively around the head, realising that the precum wasn't as foul tasting as he thought it would be. And anyway it was worth it, going by the strangled gasp from above. It was enough to make Naruto harder, if that were even possible.

Sasuke felt like he was going to explode. Never in a million years had he thought that Naruto would be kneeling in front of him, giving him - his breath hitched as he felt a warm tongue lapping at his cock -a _blow_ job . His knees were becoming progressively weaker and he was sure the only thing that was holding him up was Naruto's death grip on his hips..

"_Dobe,__"_he managed to grind out, his hand gripping blond hair tightly as Naruto started bobbing up and down on his cock. _Where in God__'__s name had he learnt to do this?_ Sure, Sasuke had been given quick blow job before, but never, _never_ had they felt like this. He glanced sideways, jerking a little as wisps of red chakra started to wind themselves around the two of them, but then he felt longer than normal nails dig into his skin, reminding him of the hot mouth on his cock and the worry fizzled into pleasure. He moaned.

Naruto didn't't mind the painful tugging of his hair, as long as he got to hear those delicious sounds that his teme was now making. Who knew Sasuke would crumble so easily ? The thought made Naruto preen in satisfaction, but he couldn't let the teme cum yet. The demon inside him was telling him he had something else much more important to do. He pulled away for a moment, earning a very disappointed groan from the Uchiha.

"Patience," he purred, pulling out a tube from his pants pocket and smearing lube onto his fingers. Naruto looked up to see Sasuke regarding at him warily. He could almost see the knobs turning in his head before the teme's lust filled gaze cleared a little. His eyes widened and he shook his head stubbornly,

"No, you're not - gah!"

Naruto suddenly deep throated him, taking as much flesh in his mouth that he could without gagging .Sasuke gasped, his head snapped backwards in surprise and his vision spotted. _Oh God_, _the dobe had _planned_ this_. He felt a cold finger at his entrance and Sasuke tried to protest, but all that filled his mind was Naruto's pink lips on his cock.

Naruto slipped a finger inside, meeting resistance but with his mouth on Sasuke's dick it didn't't last long. He waited for the clenching to stop before he wiggled another one inside, crossing and stretching the tight passage way, wanting the teme to get used to the feeling. After quite a bit of probing and an increasingly painful grip on his hair, his fingers finally brushed against something soft and squishy.

Sasuke, who had softened a little because of the discomfort suddenly felt a burst of white pleasure.

"_Fuck,_" he groaned, the irony of the situation not lost on him. He balked at the thought but again those dreaded fingers hit his prostate and he cried out, hips thrusting forward, almost gagging the man below him.

Naruto pulled his fingers out then shoved them back in, making sure he got that particular bundle of nerves almost every time. It wasn't long before he heard the raven mumble a warning and seconds later he felt Sasuke swell inside his mouth . Naruto pulled away, his own errection was now straining for release but he didn't want to end it just yet.

A little of Sasuke's cum sprayed his face as he came but Naruto didn't't care. His main goal had been to make Sasuke comfortable with at least the idea of sex and he had accomplished it. The demon inside him rumbled his approval and he grinned manically. For once, he had outsmarted the teme.

Without the grip on his hips, Sasuke slid to the ground, unable to believe what had just happened. _He had just been finger fucked to the best orgasm in his life_. The sentence seemed alien, ridiculous, even to him. He wanted to get up from the prickly uneven surface and teach the dobe a lesson by fucking him into the ground, but all he could do was slump against the tree. The red chakra still swirled around him and Sasuke was sure that he could _feel_ it smirk as it receded.

Breathing hard, he glared at the blond, who wasn't even attempting to look innocent. He watched as Naruto wiped a little cum from his face and then a moment later he was crouched in front of him, on hands and knees, an almost predatory look on his face.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as Naruto leaned forward for a kiss, surprised when the blond stopped just short. He bristled, staring right back into the now red eyes, unwilling to back down from the clear challenge in them.

Naruto's lips were on Sasuke's in a heartbeat.

He poured everything he had into the kiss. He had to make his teme understand how badly he needed him, loved him, _wanted_ him . His nails dug into pale flesh, ignoring the muffled protest as he devoured the man he had trapped between himself and the tree.

Sasuke was being overwhelmed... No, he was _drowning._

The intensity of the kiss made him both frightened and aroused at the same time, a feeling that made his stomach clench into knots. Not even the pain of tearing skin could distract him enough. It was like Naruto was baring his soul to him - _only to him _- laying himself open and vulnerable in his admittance of need, and Sasuke found that he preferred the bloody claws on hips. He raised his hands to the dobe's chest, trying to push him off, his mind reeling from the lack of air.

Naruto felt Sasuke trying to push him off and he sucked the others tongue for a few more seconds before relenting and leaning back, gulping down some air himself. The teme was panting, not looking him in the eye and Naruto felt panic bubble inside of him. _Had he scared him away? Was it too much too soon?_

Sasuke couldn't bear looking at Naruto's expression. The blond's weakness for him was displayed almost vulgarly on the scarred face and he was amazed at Naruto's willingness to give so much even after Sasuke had betrayed him. It didn't make sense, it was stupid, Naruto was stupid, and shit, _he _was stupid. He had let things come so far and yet...he glanced up at Naruto , who was dishevelled and swollen lipped. The blond was still painfully aroused, a drop of precum glistening at the tip of his cock. It was almost hilarious, the position the both of them were in. If anyone walked on them now... he closed his eyes, dispelling the stray thoughts that distracted him.

He couldn't deny that he wanted Naruto. The last few weeks had proved that much, but the problem was that it wasn't just sex. Naruto was so many other things -

"Teme-" Naruto had pulled back, but his voice was trembling. In arousal or fear, Sasuke didn't know. "-I'm not asking you for forever, I'm just asking you to try. _Please_."

Sasuke had never known Naruto to beg. Even if the blond was a clingy moron, being this vulnerable couldn't be easy. Especially in front of Sasuke.

A small part of him even admired how ... brave... Naruto was being, to leave himself so open. A previous thought flashed before him, just for a moment, reminding him why he had kissed Naruto in the first place.

_Uchiha Sasuke was no fucking coward_.

Especially in front of the man he lo-

-and he was unfolding himself from the ground and moving before the sentence completed itself in its head.

Naruto mind spun in triumph and confusion as Sasuke's lips touched his in an almost gentle kiss. Almost because the bastard was gripping the back of his hair so painfully he barely felt the kiss, like he was reminding Naruto who exactly he was dealing with. The blond thought it was rather mean but he didn't complain. Because the kiss meant yes.

_Yes_. The word was like a hot knife on butter, melting, yielding. Sasuke leaned into him, deepening the kiss. He fell back onto his ass as Sasuke almost climbed on top him, the grip on his hair not loosening a tiny bit. Naruto put his palm out on the ground behind to support himself, wincing at the effort of holding both of them upright with only one arm. A warm hand closed around his cock and Naruto groaned, his eyes almost rolling to the back of his head at the throb of pleasure. He gripped the pale hip with his free hand, needing to have as much contact as possible.

"Sas'ke," he hissed when he felt the other man start to stroke him. The muscles of his arm strained when Sasuke leaned into him some more.

"Let me do this for you, Na-ru-to," Sasuke whispered into his ear, now straddling him.

The slow syllables of his name, the way only the raven could say them, dark and promising, sent a shiver of anticipation down his spine. He didn't have to be in the clearest of minds to know what Sasuke was planning. The teme was, after all, doing everything short of shoving him to get him to lay back on the ground. Naruto smiled a fraction, the pink lips a breath away from his parting in surprise. He looked up into the coal eyes, wondering how he was going to tell his raven that this time, at least, it wasn't going to be him on top.

Sasuke regarded him in quiet surprise before his face tightened. Apparently he didn't need Naruto say anything to understand. Then Sasuke did three things at once. Smirk shift, and grind – right into his arousal. Naruto cock sent bursts of white pleasure up his entire body and he moaned, his hand slipping behind him, sending them both sprawling to the forest floor.

Dry leaved crunched under his back as Naruto squirmed under Sasuke's continued assault. The friction was driving him crazy. He could feel the firm muscles of Sasuke's ass tease his errection, the heat between them swallowing the protest in his throat. He cracked an eye open, he didn't even remember when he had closed them, to see Sasuke watching him. The pale man's eyes were hooded and his face was flushed, but he couldn't hide the smug quirk of lips. _Bastard _, Naruto cursed. Why was it always so difficult to say no to him?

Sasuke's smirk widened when he saw Naruto glare at him from below, trying his hardest to not to give in. The dobe was so easy to manipulate, it was almost embarrassing. He scooted backwards, his knees on either side of Naruto's hips to box him in. His own cock was now showing interest again, hardening at thought of being inside the lean muscled form he had trapped underneath himself.

_Now where was that lubricant Naruto had used? _

"Searching for something teme?" Naruto's voice was rough, the lust like gravel in words.

Sasuke stopped smirking, wary of the narrowed red eyes staring up at him. The promise of violence in the other man's expression made his heart quicken, pumping more blood into his cock.

"Where's the lube?" He demanded.

"With me", Naruto pushed himself up on his elbows and Sasuke ground down again, pleased when he fell back with a hiss of pleasure.

"Give it to me." Sasuke punctuated his order by brushing the blond's nipples in a feather touch. Naruto let out a slight gasp, the caress making his erection almost painful. The gentleness of the action only served to highlight the uncompromising hardness in the raven's voice.

Sasuke swore he saw a flash of clear blue in Naruto's eyes before the blond smirked,

"Make me."

Sasuke had time to blink in surprise before a fistful of leaves and dirt flew in his face. He jerked backward in reflex, his forearm whipping out to protect himself from the blow he expected. But nothing happened. Instead, he let out a surprised yell as warm fist enclosed his dick, painfully.

"Moron!" Sasuke hissed. There was a small struggle where Sasuke tried to get some kind of leverage but then the blond was twisting and rolling and suddenly Sasuke was on his back, glaring up at an equally pissed off pair of red eyes.

"Bastard!" And then Naruto was kissing him, hard and determined. The fist on his arousal tightened till Sasuke let out a gasp of pain and a warm tongue slithered inside. Sasuke bit and fought and clawed but the tendrils of red chakra were sweeping around them again. The lazy swirls reminded him of incense but he knew just how dangerous they could be. When Naruto pulled away for air, Sasuke didn't let go of his lower lip immediately, drawing blood in his anger.

"Sasuke," the blond breathed. His erection was jutting into Sasuke's hip, hard and needy. "Why won't you let me?" It was almost a whine.

"Why won't _you_ let _me_?" Was his stubborn reply.

"Because I _need _this." Naruto face was scrunched up like he was in pain.

Sasuke swallowed, " You haven't even been with a man before, you idiot."

Red eyes regarded him , "How are you so sure about that?"

"Because you would tell me if you had."

There was a strained chuckled from the man looking down at him, "Probably."

"So are you going to stop fighting and let me up dobe?"

"No."

Sasuke could have screamed in frustration. "For fuck's sake, you wouldn't even know what to do! I can make it good for both of us."

Naruto squinted down at him in concern and surprise,

"Are you scared that I'll hurt you teme?"

"I am _not_ scared!" Sasuke snarled in reflex. There was a moment of silence when the only thing around them was the rustle of leaves and the far away cries of birds. Then Naruto tilted his head,

"So what's your problem?"

Sasuke stared in horror at the man above him. _Fuck._ He could think of many things to say. All along the lines of _You__'__re a god dammed moron_ and _no one fucks Uchiha Sasuke in the ass_, but none of those would win this argument ; and even if he did say those out loud, Naruto would probably leave and never speak to him again. _Fuck_.

The only other viable option was to escape. But that would mean...admitting that he _was _afraid. Which he _wasn__'__t_. So Sasuke settled for looking away. It was unbearable to look at the wide, shit eating grin on Naruto's face.

"Mm, I always knew you loved me Sasuke." The blond whispered against his neck, swiping a tongue over a previous sore . He managed to be teasing and threatening at the same time, something that Sasuke found very annoying. He jerked his head away, away from the addictive sensation of that very hot and very wet muscle on his skin.

"Shut up and give me some space," he managed, pushing at Naruto's hands on either side of head. If they were doing this, then he was obviously going to have to hold the idiot's hand each step of the way if either of them wanted to get out of this uninjured. He twisted to the side, elbowing the blond back until Naruto was no longer crouching over him, but resting on his shins.

Sasuke had lost a considerable amount of his erection with all their bickering and he surreptitiously glanced at Naruto's still painful looking arousal. Shit. It wasn't small by any standard, in fact, it looked like it was going to hurt. Like a bitch. Shit. His wandering eyes caught the blond's intense gaze. For a moment, Sasuke was disoriented by the turmoil of emotions in the cloudy red irises; amusement, lust, irritation, impatience, _heat. _ Heat that coiled around him, them, until Sasuke could feel his heart pounding again, could feel the breeze that cooled the sweat off his neck.

He turned to shift his legs but a iron grip circled his left ankle and tugged. Surprised, he tried to struggled out the grasp, but sharp claws gripped his hip and the air left his lungs as his back hit the ground, dragged roughly until his legs were over Naruto's shoulder and his ass half off the ground.

"Fuck!" Sasuke snarled, twisting to get away from the compromising position. He was able to get a glimpse of the blue sky above him for a split second before a panting, red eyed blond obstructed the view, looking down at him with an indulgent, yet annoyed expression.

"You took way too long teme."

"Narut- gah!" Sasuke bucked when two fingers entered him easily. Naruto leaned over him, forcing their bodies closer until Sasuke could breath nothing but the achingly familiar scent of the dobe. Stray locks of hair tickled his chest as teeth encircled his nipple and Sasuke groaned. Sparks of pain shot up his spine when the third finger was thrust in and he bit down on the column of tan skin offered to him, to muffle the whine that threatened to escape his throat. _The stupid fucking dobe!_ He was being impatient and going too damn fast-

Sasuke stopped breathing when he felt something large nudge his entrance. He wasn't given time to contemplate any further. The next moment his world exploded. Into tiny white shards of pain and pleasure as Naruto entered him . In the way only Naruto could. Slow and unrelenting, just like the way he had broken through his walls, one brick at a time.

_Fuck. _

Sasuke wheezed and grimaced at the intrusion, determined not to cry out, or punch the dobe right in the face. He dug his nails into the muscled back, trying to tell Naruto without having to say anything that he needed a moment to catch his breath. Soft lips found his own and kissed him.

"Relax teme," Naruto murmured into his mouth.

"Fuck you," Sasuke snapped, hating the soothing caress that the words had been.

Naruto didn't reply, instead he pulled out and thrust back in. Hard. This time Sasuke did let out a moan. Or a curse, Naruto couldn't tell and he didn't care. His body was on fire, flames of pleasure fanning upwards and sweeping away all thought from his mind.

Burning heat consumed him , Sasuke consumed him, as he found the ravens lips, devouring his partner's mouth and swallowing any sound that escaped. He could feel the sting of nails on his ass, pulling him closer and he quickened his pace, wanting more than anything to please the man underneath him. To make sure that he never left.

Ever.

He lifted one arm from the ground to enclose the dripping cock between them and revelled in the defeated moan of desire that followed.

"N-Naruto!"

Sasuke was close. Oh so close. Each drive of Naruto's hips propelled him back and pulled him back in, the hard pulsing heat inside him pushing against his prostate with every alternate thrust. Rolls of pleasure coursed through him as Naruto stroked his arousal, faster and faster, until his vision spun and crossed ; his body only capable of rising and meeting the almost brutal momentum. It was only a matter of seconds before Sasuke felt the teetering wave of his orgasm crash into him. He raised his head, capturing Naruto's lips and thrusting his tongue inside the warm mouth as he came.

Sasuke let his head fall back as he finished, exhausted. Teeth found the nape of his neck and bit down, skin broke and bruised but he could hardly care. He was too preoccupied by the feel of Naruto coming inside him. He shifted, not used to the sensation of warm liquid filling his insides.

Naruto rode out his orgasm in silence, his face buried in the crook of Sasuke's neck.

"That was...er..uhm," Naruto mumbled, too overwhelmed to complete the sentence.

"Shut up," was the weary reply.

Naruto adjusted Neji's weight behind him, spotting Konoha's gates and smiling.

"Thank god," he said, relieved that they were finally home. He glanced at Sasuke, very aware of the heaviness that had settled on his partner. While most ninja sped up when they caught sight of their home town, Sasuke chose to hesitate.

Naruto took a deep breath. Well, that was why Tsunade Baa - san had sent him with the teme, hadn't she? It was his job to see that the 'avenger' never forgot why he had returned. He shoved Sasuke rather roughly on the shoulder, propelling him forward.

"Whatcha waiting for, teme?"

Sasuke turned around, giving him cold stare.

"I don't need to be herded in like cattle."

"Whatever. Just hurry up." Naruto said, feeling a little uneasy that both his hands were occupied with carrying Neji piggy back. The Hyuuga had still not recovered and he was, for once, thankful. After all, both he and Sasuke _had_ had sex just a few metres away from him, not something that could be called 'professional'.

Sasuke was silent for a moment, "Do you really think I would run? Even after what we did?"

Naruto closed his eyes. Why couldn't they have this conversation when maybe he wasn't carrying a sixty nine kilo ninja on his back? Or better yet, inside Konoha walls...

"Does it matter?" asked Naruto.

Sasuke folded his arms, a strange expression on his face. He turned to face Naruto fully, his back towards the walls he had deserted years ago.

"It does."

"Why ? Let's just go home," Naruto said, wanting to dismiss the entire conversation. He walked passed Sasuke, stopping only when he realised that the Uchiha wasn't following him.

"This is not funny," he said slowly, a familiar fear rising in his throat, like bile.

Sasuke was expressionless, " I know it's not."

Naruto didn't look away, not understanding what his teme wanted. Naruto would never admit it, but Sasuke's question had hurt him. Because no, he wasn't afraid that Sauske would run, he was afraid that Sasuke was _leave. Leave Konoha. _

_Leave Naruto._

It was never a pleasant sensation to realise just how deeply you loved a person, the depths to which you would sink to for them. It brought on a dimension of vulnerability that was a jolt even to Naruto and he resented Sasuke for bringing it out in the open, with absolutely no regard for his feelings.

"Yes," Naruto said, his eyes flashing, "I do think you might run away. I'm terrified that you might change your mind and disappear and never come back. Ever. Satisfied asshole?"

"Hn." Sasuke replied, tilting his head, "_Dobe_."

Then Sasuke was turning and walking towards Konoha's gates, giving him a nonchalant wave that was disturbingly reminiscent of Kakashi.

Naruto blinked in surprise. What the hell? Had the bastard just wanted to hear him admit that out loud?

"Teme!" Naruto complained, "That was _mean_!"

He jogged after his best friend, wanting very much to punch that smirk of the bastard's face.

"Naruto."

The tiered, grey voice in his ear made Naruto stop. He turned his face around, smiling in relief at Neji.

"You okay?" The blond asked, "Should I put you down?"

Neji shook his head, frowning at him.

"What's the matter?" Naruto asked, a little concerned at the ill expression on his captain's face.

"Next time," Neji wheezed, giving him a exasperated smile, "try having sex more than 10 feet away from an injured man."

**THE END**

A/N : A/N: Okay this is going to a longish authors note. I have an excuse, considering this is the last chapter. Lol. First off, thank you very very much for sticking with me for this long. It has been more than a year since i started this fic and i can honestly say that relief is my primary emotion at the moment...and JOOOOYYY comes a close second. BWAHAHA. PEOPLE THIS IS THE FIRST MULTI CHAPTER FIC I HAVE EVER COMPLETED (or started). *dances around* i feel INVICIBLE ...and tiered and in awe of all those authors who manage to do more than one. Hahahaha.

The Naruto fandom has been good to me and you guys rock. I almost wish i could take you with me to other fandoms. Lol.

I hope you have enjoyed the last 16 chapters. Its been a long ( i know, very long) and bumpy ride, and I appreciate all the love ive gotten. Whether its been one hit on the stats page, a fav or a review. Thank you. *bows*

n_anon


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